Writing for Yourself
By Amrit Hallan
I often see writers getting bogged down by "markets." They constantly
worry about who is going to like their work and who is not going to like their
work.
Before I go further with what I intend to convey in this article, I would like
to make a few things clear. There are many sorts of writers: romance writers, fantasy
writers, mystery writers, erotica writers, etc. And of course, copywriters and journalists.
Writers belonging to these categories have to constantly keep in mind for
what sort of readers they are writing. I don't mean to portray them as lesser
writers, but they are basically catering to the concept of "supply and
demand," and they are basically writing for money. You may ask: what's
wrong in that? Nothing. I myself offer my writing services to those who are
willing to pay.
Personally, I believe, if you want to excel in the field of writing, you have to
see yourself beyond such peripheries of categories and markets. I often find
myself saying, "Writers write for themselves, readers read them if they
like them." Some say the statement is arrogant, but I couldn't care less.
You can't write well if you are always worrying about your readers. An aim of
every worthy writer is to communicate in his own style, and still be able to
communicate.
The first step in this direction is to believe that you are right, without
running into the quicksand of conceit. I have gone through this useless phase of
vanity and it was the most unproductive period of my life as a writer. A writer
never writes on pre-drawn lines. He/she always defines and creates a unique
style, and if that style carries valid originality, there is a miniscule chance
of it being rejected by readers.
You have to be passionate about your writing even if it sounds ritualistic. Stay
away from affectations just to please your readers. The passion always comes
through your words, your phrases, your full stops and commas. This is a
wonderful thing about words. They exactly convey the way you feel no matter how
adeptly you try to convey something else.
Remember that it's you who are the conveyor of your ideas, not some other writer
you are trying to emulate. If they are your thoughts, then they have to be
manifested in your words.
Some writers keep waiting for the right moment. Believe me, this is the biggest
hurdle a writer faces. What's the difference between "normal" people
and highly successful people? Normal people wait for the opportunity, or if they
are lucky, they stumble into an opportunity. On the other hand, successful
people either create opportunities of their own, or they keep working without
getting bothered about opportunities - for them, even smaller chances turn into
bigger opportunities. So keep writing without waiting for inspiration, or the
"right moment." Keep writing, keep writing, and keep writing.
For example, when I started working on this article, my brain felt like a
stone. I'm down with the flu, cold and cough. I slipped in the bathroom a few
days back, so all my joints are dancing a witch-dance of pain. When I decided to
write this article, I felt a strange revulsion for my computer screen and my
keyboard. I felt like I can never write and I'm not supposed to write. Every
individual word felt like a drag. But then I told myself, "Heck, I can
write whenever I want to!"
I'm writing, and I don't know how this article is going to turn out. I'm writing
this for myself. I have decided that I have to write today.
The best way to write is to let yourself loose. Immerse yourself in the subject.
Get rid of inhibitions. Never let negative thoughts enter your mind. Above all,
be sincere with yourself. It's only you who know who you are and where you
stand.
Copyright ©2001 Amrit Hallan
Amrit Hallan is a freelance copywriter, writer and a web
developer. He also writes pages that are optimized for search engine rankings.
Checkout his site, and read more of his writings at http://www.amrithallan.com.
