You Could Be A Contender

I’ve been blogging here for nearly 2 years now and for the past 18 months I’ve been pleasantly surprised, if not downright shocked, that I’ve found anything to write about. Writing about freelance writing is really a finite proposition. You can keep tweaking earlier articles, adding new slants and what you believe are fresh gems of advice, but it’s all been said before. I am acutely aware of that. Some of you may have noticed I wander off-topic every so often, clinging by a mere thread to the subject I am charged with scribing on.

Much of what I’ve had to say has not been too encouraging. I make no excuse for that. You cannot wander into this writing profession devoid of talent and seriously expect to succeed. Oftentimes you won’t even arrive here with a suitcase full of talent and get very far. Life ain’t fair, and the Arts are a particularly cruel section of life. Idiots make it, geniuses fail.

I saw during my time at RADA that someone who cannot act upon entry to that illustrious academy will not leave three years later with any discernible boost in natural talent. Talent is, I believe, always natural. It cannot be learned or taught. You can learn a few peripheral skills, you can enjoy a wholly undeserved inflation of your ego, but the core of it is either there or it’s not.

I remember when I did a little boxing as a youngster watching a kid getting knocked on his ass every few seconds and my coach saying: “As long as that boy’s backside has a hole in it, he’ll never win a fight.” Cruel perhaps, but anyone watching would have had to agree.

I think it’s good to discourage people from entering the Arts. I wouldn’t want to send anyone on a fool’s errand without first alerting them to the pitfalls along the way. If you still want to set off, good luck to you; it’s that stubborn resistance to the percentages that may just win the day for you. My feeling is that if a few words from a stranger can destroy your dreams, you never had what it takes to make it anyway. You need a thick skin in this profession, because rejection can slowly slough it away until you’re just too raw to carry on.

That said, I think you should always follow your dreams. I think if you have a passion such as freelance writing, you should damn well try to do it. The meek will inherit the earth? I don’t think so – not on this earthly plane, at least. Stand back in the shadows, scared to take what could be yours, and someone else will take it. No one’s going to come looking for you in the dark, desperately trying to place in your hands that thing you think is your destiny. You need to break into the light, grab life with both hands and wring out of it all it has to offer.

You may be wrong. It may not work for you. But at least you won’t be filled with regret at never having tried. You’ll never have to hear yourself utter those recriminatory words that can make a life feel wasted.