Zero-sum Content

I have about 20 passages tabbed in The War of Art, and 1 actually bookmarked, peeking out the top as a constant reminder:

There’s no mystery to turning pro. It’s a decision brought about by an act of will. We make up our mind to view ourselves as pros and we do it. Simple as that.

I think one of the most dangerous and masturbatory aspects of blogging is trying to fit yourself into a narrative. Don’t let blogging become Resistance 2.0, play to its strengths: an extension of your voice, not a replacement. Living with others, not for them.

It’s important to see this coming. I was reading On Writing Well, and after the first few chapters, skipped ahead to 21: Enjoyment, Fear and Confidence. I was just trolling for blog material, rather than reading to internalize, to understand and better myself. But the latter is precisely what you need to do, if you really want material in the long run–content that is just as valuable to those reading it as it is to you writing it. The moment it hit me? In the chapter itself, there was a passage aimed right at me, as if the author wanted to brain the motherfucker:

Living is the trick. Writers who write interestingly tend to be men and women who keep themselves interested. That’s almost the whole point of becoming a writer.

So I added a new tab. But then I closed the book, and started over. Recently, the number of people reading my blog has nearly doubled. Why would I do you or myself such a disservice? No zero-sum content.