Fiction
Why have I never read fiction? Yesterday as I was walking out of the library, six off brand Lego characters were too much for me to resist on the cover of a book. My curiosity had to know what the inside held. I read the first two pages, hilarious. Then the next two, then the next, I looked up at page 36 and realized that I was still in the library. I had to take this book to work. It was just too entertaining. I’m twenty five years old, and I am just now discovering the joys of fiction? Better late… right?
The writing that captivates my attention to a level that I forget I’m standing up in a library is the writing I want to do. The key to this is to write words that I want to read. Austin Kleon wrote a book call “Steal like an Artist” and within its unique pages, he imprinted the advice, create the content you want to consume. If you don’t know who your audience is or who you’re trying to reach, create for yourself. There are a few reasons why this works well.
- You know yourself better than anyone else, so you know exactly what to create to entertain and spark joy into your life.
- When you are always creating content that you would consume, your end product will have consistent results. If you enjoy it, other people will too, and they will continue to enjoy what you create as long as you continue to create for yourself.
- The content you make will be genuine because you aren’t trying to assume a persona that isn’t yours or impress someone. It is work you are doing out of a personal passion, and people can feel that.
The joy lies within the creation, not the finished product. Stressing about perfection or deadlines won’t make the finished product better. Just focus on doing that one little action everyday in the direction you want yourself to move in.