“There are many talented writers in America but only 5% of them are getting published,” says Steven King in his book “On Writing” and I flatter myself as belonging to that cohort. While the question of talent is a subject of great debate, one thing I can say with confidence – I am wired to write as the very process of it makes me content and a well-written story is just about the only thing that makes me drool.
However, besides having their way with words, and knowing the tricks of the trade, writers also must be persistent as nearly everybody receive rejections at the beginning of their careers. Some deservingly and many not. For those who don’t want to subject themselves to constant rejections, there is Steemit. Thank God of the Internet for that!
Here you can truly test your talent. Do people even care about what you have to say, or you are “a lone wolf”, so to speak, in the ocean of indifference?
As it turned out, my writing is neither very bad nor exceptionally good. I did have some success with my stories, but it wasn’t overwhelming.
People are collective animals and we all want to share our thoughts and feelings with someone else. Yet, the big question is do anyone wants to listen? Once, at the party, I asked an acquaintance, who was known for brutal sincerity, what would he rather have an interlocutor or an audience? He paused for a second and smiled “An audience.”
And if most people were to be absolutely brutally honest I think they would answer similarly. Sure, it’s nice to have a close friend whom you can entrust your deepest fears and frustrations and who is not going to turn around and use this information against you. A person like this is a rare treasure. For the rest of us, we need to pay a psychologist $200 a pop, for listening to our flaps and squawks. Alternatively, we can wrap them in a story and be audacious enough to ask someone to pay for it. But as I mentioned earlier, it ain’t all that easy.
But do not despair! For those who cannot sell their story, there is Steemit. Thank God for it!
