Hi friends!
Happy Monday! If you've been following me on my bookstagram account, you may or may not have noticed I've started doing Monday Motivation posts where I hand-letter a quote that inspires me for the week.
Usually these quotes are related to writing, but some quotes I pick are fairly universal and can be applied to anything.
This week's quote: "You Can't Please 'Em All"
I really related to this quote this week because I am such a perfectionist and people-pleaser. I always want everyone around me to be happy and will do anything it takes to keep it that way. I absolutely crave outside validation. The approval of others means EVERYTHING to me.
And that's a really big problem for a writer.
Some days it makes it really stinkin' hard to pick up that pen because I have that little voice inside my head saying "will anyone even want to read this?" or "if people do read this, will they even like it?"
To try and get past this crippling fear, I like to remind myself that writing is like artwork. People's opinions on art are subjective. There is no right or wrong way to write a story because it's a creative endeavor. It's part of the reason why I became an English major and not a math major in college. Sure, there are rules. But some of the most famous writers threw those rules out the window and created some of the most magnificent pieces of literature that are still widely read today. And I don't even like some of the "greatest" pieces of literature ever produced. William Faulkner and James Joyce, I'm looking at you.
Even if those two were alive today, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't let the potential of negative reviews stop them from following their passion.
So if you're a writer like me, this is your reminder that you can't please them all (so please stop trying). Just write the story that you love and that you are proud of! At the end of the day that's all that matters.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Hope to see you around here sometime soon!
Taylor
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