>>125267When I was in uni I met Salman Rushdie, and he said something like (and I'm paraphrasing but not much):
"Before I was an author I worked in Marketing. I had 8 hours to turn out something good, and no extensions were going to be given.
That's what I do now, anon. I sit at my desk and I write for 8 hours every day. Eventually it's a book."
I realize that's sort of like Usain Bolt telling you he moves his legs back and forth like he's walking, only faster.
I guess the point is working deadlines with no extensions and no excuses for bullshit that sucks. Depression is its own beast, and having a lit degreee probably means you don't read for fun anymore.
I got a career where I write all damn day, but it's a really specialized kind of writing which doesn't have much crossover with novels or short stories, so I'm not sure if it made me better or not.
The thing was, everyone who reads what you produce is going to tell you it's awesome and you're awesome and how jealous they are, and so on.
If you're anything like me, you'll think they're lying or equally bad at writing. But just the same, your mind will be constantly moving from one subject to the next: Basketball, Wool Socks, Hegel, What you want for lunch, cigarettes, politics, whatever.
There's something in all that worth putting to paper, but you probably won't be satisfied with it. Write what you want and let other people figure out how good it is or isn't.
Nobody else is gonna write it.