My Writing Sucks. So Does Yours. But Yet We Still Write.

Pardon the preface below. It won’t seem germane at first, but trust me, it’ll all come full circle soon enough. 

I usually don’t listen to podcasts as they typically tend to be boring (hey, that’s not surprising!). But recently, I wanted to start doing something more interesting during my commutes to school instead of trying to make sense out of U2’s song lyrics. Anyways, I got hooked on Dan Benjamin’s awesome 5by5 podcasts. If you haven’t given them a shot yet, you should. Because you’re missing out. Really, you are. I’m serious.

I’m guessing that most of my audience—yes, that includes you, duh—still remains somewhat blasé towards my writing. Or perhaps it’s the content. Or maybe it’s just me. In any case, I’m in no sycophantic writer that panders to your tastes; that’s not why I write nor should it be any writer’s. Dan Benjamin’s weekly podcast collaboration with Merlin Mann is simply amazing. Their dynamo duo show, titled as “Back to Work”, quips and discusses the importance of making stuff. The theme has been over-discussed, particularly by those “How to Find Your Creativity” preaching people who eventually go on to write little hard-covered books that often include inspirational quotes and, not to mention, a copy of their slightly ostentatious signature on the first page. Cool stuff, right? As Merlin pointed out in one of his improvised and basement-esque videos, productivity is like sausage: nobody wants to hear a bunch of middle-aged men talk about it, let alone anybody for that matter. But let us not digress into discourse about productivity porn; Dan and Merlin often lambast the amount of time society wastes on watching cats on YouTube or poking That Person You Like on Facebook because it sincerely detracts us from doing amazing things. 

But let’s get to the point that I so bluntly pointed out in the title of this blag post. In no way do I regard myself as a good writer. In fact, I make out my prose to be uneven at times, and in most cases, the amount, or lack thereof, of followers that read or skimp over my blog really don’t care about the stuff I’m talking about. But I write because I enjoy doing so. If you asked a person who meditates on why he meditates, he will tell you that he just does. Translation: he simply enjoys the activity. And guess what? He doesn’t give a Buddha’s Toga if you affirm his love for meditation or not.

In other words, I enjoy writing because it allows me to convey my thoughts on topics that I may otherwise never get to discuss with people. And you want to know what’s really cool? In about 5 or 10 years, I can look back at all of this writing I did and see what kind of person I was back then. And whether I will see my former self as some geeky tool or just That Guy, I’ll nonetheless be able to see that. That concept, in and of itself, is totally humbling and it’s one of the main reasons of why I write. 

So, don’t think about writing. Don’t ask your heart what it wants to talk about, either. Just let your hands move. Let all of the words fall out. My writing sucks, but I don’t care. 

I just want to write. Hopefully you do, too. Most important of all, certainly don’t be afraid if your writing sucks as well. Just let your hands move and the rest will take care of itself.