[When I was a nineteen-year-old high school student and budding poet ? two years after my diving accident] many factors adversely affected my creativity. My trips in a special bus to school and back home, my courses, and my assignments, though I was spared a lot of writing and was mostly tested orally, all this was time-consuming. More often than not, my obligation to study took priority over my desire to compose poetry.
To tell the truth, I had plenty of free time. That I spent much of it uncreatively showed evidence of frivolousness, laziness, and cowardliness. I usually preferred to take my mind off things, or to daydream, rather than to express myself through poems. The satisfaction I could derive from achieving this expression seldom induced me to try. The deterring elements were the difficulty of trying and the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of my efforts.
A poem ? assuming one is concerned about writing beautifully ? is indeed no cinch. It requires a poet who is talented, skilled, and determined. My poetic ability was fickle; my grammar and style were faulty; my will was faint. I lacked the courage of my creative desire. This lack was not absolute. Now and then, when I felt compellingly inspired, I resisted my temptation to trifle ? which amounted to taking the easy way out ? and endeavored to compose a poem. I had to repeat this endeavor, over and over, to grow more capable and confident, less discouraged by the challenge at hand.
I am afraid young individuals similar to the young man I was then are not a rarity. The prospect of success turns them on; effort and the risk of failure turn them off. The contradiction is apparent, and the result predictable: Since effort and the risk of failure are essential for success, the avoidance of them precludes this success. Of course everyone knows this. The trouble is that many refuse largely to accept it. This is proof that knowledge is powerless in itself; it needs a strong will to be effective. Young individuals, who know the rules of success, can be failures inasmuch as they fail to accept these rules. Wisdom includes this acceptance (the exclusion of which is thus foolish). It must be distinguished from knowledge. Wise people are also brave people who put their knowledge into practice and become successful for that reason. The obvious holds good in every way: Life without courage is like a bird without wings; it cannot take off.
Why is it hard to want both the end and the means? Precisely because the means are hard, not to mention the fact that they are hazardous, you might answer. If you are right, then why do some actually thrive on this hardness and hazardousness? The key to this mystery is their attitude: They regard these opposing elements not only as obstacles but also as opportunities for merit and excitement. Just as they were young once, spoon-fed and sheltered from the evils of the world, they eventually outgrew their attachment to easiness and developed a taste for challenge. In conclusion, what characterizes them is their maturity, by contrast with the infantilism of others.
Between these two extremes there is a mediocre compromise, partly mature, partly infantile. It consists in taking charge of one's life while taking the easy way out. Small principles, small realizations, far below one's potential for greatness, they are poor excuses for wisdom and success. Potential, that is the operative word. There can be greatness in apparent smallness and smallness in apparent greatness; the truth resides in the great or small actualization of one's potential, whatever it is.
How does one discover what it is? By making the effort to actualize it in the ever-renewed and multifaceted act of living. This entails that one push oneself hard, at the risk of going too far. Measure is an empty abstraction for anyone who has never exceeded it. Limits should be experienced, not invented. This experience demands a serious and courageous commitment to greatness. Steer clear of frivolousness, laziness, and cowardliness; do not fall prey to them as I did so many times. They are strong temptations that can assume the form of a cunning philosophy that is unique to losers. Beware of this snare. Life is a demanding character test; come death, you will have ample time to rest!
Nostalgic for the old days at the rehabilitation facility when I wrote anyhow about anything, I once conveniently believed in spontaneous writing as a guarantee of genuineness. Fortunately I was foolish yet not a complete fool. After some denial, which involved some nonsense in justification of my foolishness, I admitted sullenly that my sacrosanct pursuit of genuineness was in fact a vile indulgence in idiocy. There is nothing spontaneous about the intelligent conception and intelligible expression of one's true self, which is everything but simple. It is a tissue of desires, feelings, ideas, and memories, caught in a whirl of interactions between the mind and the world. Either one goes to great lengths to elucidate and formulate the truth about oneself, and one hits the bull's-eye, or one talks bullshit ? please forgive my language.
Some people shine at off-the-cuff speeches, as though they were so brilliant they could avoid saying idiocies when forced to be spontaneous. Make no mistake; their brilliance is merely one side of the equation. They have spent years polishing their manner of thinking and speaking, while their knowledge waxed through learning. Their spontaneity is studied. It is a product of numerous rehearsals, like the performance of an actor. Nothing great ever comes easily to anyone, including those who are the most gifted among us. Superior luck is not human greatness, only a steppingstone toward it. The stone is given; the stepping is done by the sweat of one's brow and is made of a million steps, uphill. To work one's way up to greatness is comparable to conquering Mount Everest, the highest peak of the Himalayas. It is an outstanding achievement with a sense of pride to match.
Laurent Grenier's writing career spans over twenty years. During this time he has broadened and deepened his worldview, by dint of much reflection and study, and in the end has crafted "A Reason for Living," his best work to date.
Official web site: http://laurentgrenier.com/arfl.html
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareIf you are reading this article then you probably have... Read More
One day in the mid-1970's a young man stumbled into... Read More
You may not remember this, but in the early days... Read More
Originality emerges from structure. Once you have a story idea,... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?You are plotting the story. You write... Read More
You send me an e-mail. You tell me you've written... Read More
Word processors are so widely used now that I tend... Read More
Taming the Book Proposal: The BasicsOh, that most maddening of... Read More
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More
A poet isn't born; you must work at crafting your... Read More
Writer's forums are bustling with debate over whether or not... Read More
So you're one of 20 million Americans who want to... Read More
The Scanning ReaderWriting for the Web is different than writing... Read More
Being a great writer is no longer enough if you... Read More
ESSAYS ON AUTOBIOGRAPHY: NUMBER 1Preamble:Nearly seven years ago I wrote... Read More
People familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test know that the... Read More
Chaos and confusion come when established rules and procedures are... Read More
To keep it simple and basic: Jack Finney's Invasion of... Read More
Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter... Read More
Do you want to publish something? An article, a non-fiction... Read More
Want to write a how-to article but can't come up... Read More
Persisting With Bulldog Determination [Book excerpt from Successercising} by Rick... Read More
What am I going to write about?Which topic is the... Read More
I just finished to read a book. A story for... Read More
I am sure that at in some era, at some... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..Creative Writing Tips ?What a plot is and what a... Read More
For many authors just starting out, it can be a... Read More
By far, I have found that the lack of discipline... Read More
What a lack of research could do to you.When creating... Read More
Do you have a problem creating a focus in your... Read More
How to avoid mistakes that undermine your credibilityYou're probably already... Read More
Everybody knows writing a story is not easy. Like the... Read More
As a freelance writer, it is important to present yourself... Read More
Interesting characters that readers care about are the most important... Read More
One morning, you open your inbox and find several e-mails... Read More
To keep it simple and basic: Jack Finney's Invasion of... Read More
There is no specific formula for children's fiction. There are,... Read More
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father... Read More
Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of... Read More
Every part of your book can be a sales tool.... Read More
If you dread the thought of writing, if you fear... Read More
If you want happy customers to use your service or... Read More
Writing is a personal and introspective process. To share with... Read More
The only way to become a writer is to write.... Read More
Today I took the dog for a walk and realized... Read More
On the first day of a bright and shiny new... Read More
When most people consider writing a book, they don't think... Read More
These 8 tips on using characters in your stories will... Read More
If you are a serious writer who wants to publish... Read More
You have a great idea for a poem, a story,... Read More
Writing |