Day 95: Inspiration from Chinua Achebe

Image courtesy of the Chinua Achebe FB page.

I believe myself that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except to keep at it. Just think of the work you’ve set yourself to do, and do it as well as you can. Once you have really done all you can, then you can show it to people. But I find this is increasingly not the case with the younger people. They do a first draft and want somebody to finish it off for them with good advice. So I just maneuver myself out of this. I say, Keep at it. I grew up recognizing that there was nobody to give me any advice and that you do your best and if it’s not good enough, someday you will come to terms with that. ~ Chinua Achebe, 99U & The Paris Review

When it comes to writing, if you want to get better at it—write.  Just write.  And keep writing!  Believe in yourself and what you're writing and do the very best that you can when writing.  There simply is no other way.  You must continue to work at your craft.  Write, rewrite, edit, revise, finalize, and repeat as many times as it's necessary.  Don't be scared to do the work.  It will pay off.

You have everything you need within you already.  You must trust what lies within.  It will very rarely steer you wrong.  And write about what you feel.  Write about what moves you.  Write about what you're most passionate about it.  Let that be your guide.  Write from your heart first.  Be critical about it later.  Use the feedback you get from others to help fine-tune and guide your work.  But please, don’t take it personally.  If you can do this, everything should fall in place.

Don't be scared to take risks either.  You never know how it may help you grow not only as a writer, but also as a person.  If it proves to be a bust, so be it.  It's still a learning lesson that will help guide you as a writer and as creative being as you move forward.