“Leave out unnecessary details, unnecessary words, and things that you know nothing about.” This is what I was going to write in this blog post before I decided I didn’t want it to be boring and cliché.
Instead, I believe that there is a loophole in the topic that could take us somewhere interesting. “What to Leave Out” automatically makes us think about what to physically leave out of our writing. But what about the things that we should mentally leave out of our writing? In a lot of ways, the attitudes that we adopt have as much influence on our writing careers as our writing itself.
Everyone has their own personality and their own way of doing things, of course, but we do live in a culture where self-improvement is trendy; so, on that note, let us begin!
1. Leave Out Laziness
Nobody’s going to do your work for you, and nobody’s going to succeed for you. A creative career rarely happens by mistake. It requires strategy, diligence and inspiration. These things are interconnected, and I would say that all three are required if you want to reach your potential, but if you’re lacking in one of these areas (even just temporarily) the other two can likely still make a productive writer out of you. Yes, strive for all three, but don’t be discouraged when you’re not perfect (which brings me to my next point!).
2. Leave Out Pride
Pride is something that a lot of writers struggle with. This is not to say that a certain amount of pride should not be taken in one’s work, but it is important to keep an open mind and remain teachable. Thinking that your word is law is perfectly acceptable until you come across someone who actually knows better than you do. Receiving criticism from a place of humility is a lot less painful than having your pride hurt when you end up being wrong.
3. Leave Out Jealousy
Writing is a competitive business. Some will succeed, some won’t. It’s just like becoming a doctor, except more challenging. However, one thing that some writers (and people in general) do not realize is that jealousy is rather pointless.
First of all, it does not make you a better writer. Sure, seeing somebody else succeed can be a good source of motivation, but said motivation does not have to come from a place of negativity or jealousy. They should not be blamed for their success any more than you should be blamed for yours.
Secondly, some aspiring writers do not realize that when their comrades succeed, from that point on they know someone in the business. Instead of forming relationships and connections with their peers, they burn all of their bridges (or even neglect building them in the first place), which leaves them stranded alone on an island with no writing career and a whole lot of resentment.
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| He is not having fun! |
