Find Success. Enjoy the Writing Journey!

Have you ever been told to stop writing to do better? Neil Gaiman’s advice is to live life a little and then come back to tell your stories.

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Neil Gaiman once told one of his students to stop writing. His talented, bright student had the skills to enchant and entrance. But his writing wasn’t enough.

Instead, he encouraged him to travel the world, watch sunsets, make friends and fall in love. No doubt having his heart broken and things going wrong in life wouldn’t hurt either.

From the deepest wounds do writers tell a tale of sorrow. From only purest joy can you write of joy in a way that makes the reader feel something of the same.

The student in question was a talented writer but didn’t have anything intelligent or new to tell. His stories lacked depth.

Neil’s advice was to write and see where it takes you.

I have 3 take-away points from this:

1. Even a talented writer needs some excellent fodder to write well
2. Writer’s block happens for a reason
3. If you don’t care about the work you put out there, nobody else will