At What Level Of The Game Called "Writer" Are You?
Nobody Wakes Up Knowing What They Need To Do Or How To Do It.
I am horrible!
Back in 2014-2015, those were my first thoughts when I read chapter one of the novel I wrote.
It was my first try at writing crime fiction. And I detested what I wrote. I was younger and not wiser then, so I went on to beat myself hard.
What the hell have I written? Why are all characters sounding the same? And what's up with these silly grammar mistakes? Do I even know how to write? Maybe I was not meant to be a writer.
A couple of years later, this negative perspective was switched to a positive one when the following post fell like a bomb on me -
Here's what I understood -
Just like human life, our creative life is a game of sorts.
Every new year you spend in this life is the level you're at. Each level has its objectives and obstacles. We give our best to face the obstacles and achieve the objectives; we gain more points and bonuses. If we fail, we try again till we find a way to crack the wall.
Eventually, we level up and are more skilled, experienced and wiser than we were before.
So when I apply this thought to my life right now, I am -
Level 26 Human,
Level 14 Reader,
Level 6 Apprentice of Writing, and
Level 1 Writer.
"Who, like, wakes up and knows how to write a novel?"
- Elizabeth Gilbert
That is what most beginner writers fail to realise.
Just like everything in life - from taking your first steps, to learning maths, to learning how to make pancakes, to learning how to do a backflip, to learning how to code - nobody wakes up knowing what they need to do or how to do it.
No wonder you feel frustrated and like a failure. It's because you haven't done written a novel before. You haven't been a writer before. You don't know the tricks of the trade. You don't know what it means to be a writer.
You have just started this journey and have a lot to learn.
But let's say you are on a different level and still don't like what to write. We can always change that.
You know what your book is supposed to read like. You have good taste and know something is amiss. You just have to be gentle with yourself and figure it out.
So next time you feel like beating yourself for writing another crappy draft, stop!
First, remind yourself on which level of writer you are.
Second, find and try a different way of tackling the obstacle you're facing.
And third, when you achieve your objective, pat yourself on the back and celebrate.
Keep practising your writing, and one day you'll eventually reach the level that meets your standards.
