Myths about writing

As I reach 40 posts published, I realize so many things were holding me back from writing. I had so many small ideas written down all over the place. I’d already documented some things quite a bit; others were just concepts. I always thought I’d write a story about those ideas one day, but I never actually sat down and did it.

As I’ve pushed through these past few weeks, I’ve had to resort to those ideas, and I’ve finally had to sit down and write about them. From frameworks to anecdotes, I’ve realized I had many things I felt like sharing but was putting up many artificial barriers. So if you are ever stuck and think like me, here’s a breakdown of the myths about writing that I’ve now debunked.

I don’t have enough ideas.

Ideas are a commodity. We have tens or hundreds every day, sometimes they come while doing mindless things, or sometimes we actively seek them out. Whatever it is, the difference between an idea and it becoming a reality is usually documenting it. I’ve learned that whenever I have an idea, I need to jot it down, or it will probably expire. If I don’t, I’ll try and remember later in the day and probably won’t be able to. They are like dreams which, if we don’t document them soon after we wake up, will be discarded by our brain.

Everything has been said.

Thousands of posts must be written and published every hour, every day, worldwide. At this point, many things have been thought about and written about. However, we all have a certain uniqueness we can bring. Furthermore, we have personal experiences that might add another angle to whatever idea we are writing about. In the age of ChatGPT, whoever can write in a distinctive and disruptive way about any concept, will stand out.

I have no time

Yes. Time is scarce. We all have the same 24 hours every day. The difference in each person is not how much time we have but how we prioritize that time. Many things must happen for our livelihoods to be balanced, such as sleep, exercise, work, and family time. But many of us usually fill the remaining hours with mindless scrolling or Netflix. Once you prioritize writing in your day, whatever is lower on that list will probably be sacrificed. I must have watched all the Oscar-nominated movies by this point last year. This year I have watched none. Most of that time has gone to writing, which has been a much better use of my time.

No one cares about what I have to say

So what? As I previously said, initially, you have to write for yourself. Write as an avenue of expression and exercise to continuously push ideas into the world. Once you fall into a rhythm, then test some of your ideas with different audiences and see what resonates where. I haven’t reached that point yet, and I don’t know when I will. But remove the stress of questioning if someone else will care about you and what you say. Most of us are very much self-involved and don’t overthink what other people think, so don’t think that it will be different when it comes to what you write.

I’m a terrible writer.

We are all bad at everything when we start. It’s repetition and continuance that makes any of us a master. Call it the ten thousand-hour rule, the “practice makes perfect” concept. To do something great, we must have started with something mediocre or even bad at some point. Most people don’t do it out of fear or laziness. They don’t want to go through the first and longest part of the process. Keep at it; your material will be worth your high standard one day.

Writing is not hard. What is hard is prioritizing writing and making sure it becomes a recurrent activity. In time, we can all become good writers, and we can all share our ideas with the world.