I’ve considered numerous logical reasons why I shouldn’t pursue writing. I can whip up negative thoughts in my head faster than I can get to the laptop and open it up to write. I worry about my inadequacies as a writer and occasionally think of my writing as waisted time. During these times of despair, I seek inspiration from famous writers to instill in me the abilities to be the courageous creative I desire to be.
Let me share lessons I’ve learned from each of these authors with you. Hopefully, something will spark inside you to help you be the courageous creative you are destined to be.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Have you ever doubted your smarts when it comes to writing? I do. Does some part of you fear that your educational background, or lower grades disqualify you from creating? Absolutely.
Then I think of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work that is now taught in the classroom despite his lack in educational skills.
Fitzgerald was a poor speller, and later many believe he had Attention Deficit Disorder as he was prone to symptoms of inattention without the fidgetiness. Traditional academic and educational success was not something Fitzgerald was able to attain.
He was courageous in that he didn’t let this stop him. Fitzgerald became one of the most studied and loved authors in American history.
Lessons from Fitzgerald:
Persistence & Love for our Stories
For many of us, being called out on our technical errors, might cause us to quit. Fitzgerald didn’t quit. His courage to persist allowed him the ability to dedicate his time and energy on crafting the stories he loved. The best this about writing today is that we now have modern tools to help us overcome our technical writing limitations.
Background Doesn’t Define You
Some of us we’re under intense pressure from a young age to acquire skills that will ‘pay out’ and that are ‘realistic’. Also consider that some of us didn’t come from a supportive learning environment where education is encouraged. Or maybe you came from a background where the pressure was to excel in all things educational.
Considering all of the above, it can be difficult to shift your mindset that you are qualified to write. Or maybe you struggle giving yourself permission to type that short story, or novel that’s burning inside of you. If there’s something in your educational past that makes you feel less than, don’t let it stop you.
The next time you find yourself criticizing your own technical ability, or someone else knocks you down for it, remember Fitzgerald’s courage.
He was a courageous creative and we can be too.
Paulo Coelho
As writers, we know how it feels to be doubted. Many of us experience negativity when we open up about our desires to be an author and express our creative side as a possibility for our future.
Paulo Coelho was committed to an insane asylum multiple times by his own family.
Ignoring writing for years and attending law school as the practical thing to do, he was committed to an insane asylum multiple times by his own family. Coelho, finding the courage, returned to his creative calling at the age of 39.
Millions of copies sold, and countless lives touched, things did work out for Paulo Coelho.
Lessons from Coelho:
Letting Family Down
Some are fortunate to have parents that want us to chase our dreams but other creators are not. Coelho’s story is extreme; however, it’s possible that even the most painful disapproval from our family and loved ones can still result in success if we step out and be a courageous creative.
We can switch paths throughout our life. Many of us have come to writing, or some other form of creativity, late in life.
One trap a lot of writers fall into is feeling like it’s ‘too late to start’.
“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”
Paulo Coelho
Coelho found the courage to put to work his passion. He helps us to realize that we can become successful writers even after a long period of doing something else.
My Path is Different
One of the hardest things to do in life is to admit we’re on a different road to success. That we didn’t want what others expect of us. Their expectations are not our dreams.
It’s also incredibly difficult to drop a stable career such as law to pursue something creative. Many of us desire to do exactly this – drop that stable career for our passion. This takes an immense amount of courage.
If you ever happen to find yourself in letting your family down, or wanting a much different path that what your currently on, recall Paulo Coelho. His fiction works and life story will provide you with the courage to carry on.
Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie didn’t always seem destined for authorship fame.
Christie’s family didn’t consider her to be an intellectual person. Something I can REALLY relate to. She was known to struggle with spelling and writing in general.
This POWERHOSE has sold over 2 BILLION copies! Pretty amazing for someone that wasn’t considered ‘good enough’ in the smarts department. She was a courageous creative in that she didn’t let her families thoughts around her abilities stop her.
Lessons from Christie:
We Blossom In Our Own Time
Sadly, we let our perceived role within our family, or loved ones, determine the path we take. They tell us we aren’t smart and we believe it, or they belittle us like we are ‘fun’ to be around but learning isn’t ‘our thing’. Christie didn’t let her families perception of her determine her creative life. Being seen as less among her own family didn’t hold her back – she was a courageous creative. I don’t want being seen as lacking in smarts to hold me back and you shouldn’t let it either! You can achieve your potential later in life, regardless of how your childhood seemed to set you up.
We can do this no matter our age and where we are at in our lives.
We Have Technology
Agatha Christie dictated her best work. We have made incredible technological advances since Christie’s era. If you’re struggling to get your words written, try recording them. Hearing our writing out loud also improves it on the page. Same as reading it out loud.
Christie’s story can be proof that our perceived identity within our family doesn’t define who we later turn out to be. And just because you use technological advanced software or tools this does NOT make you less of a writer. What it can make you is a prolific one!
Let’s take what is offered up to us in this era and use it to weave our words and create the stories living in our heads for so long.
If you struggle with any one of these examples and persist- you are a courageous creative.
