Elliot Kessler

Humans have been shifting blame since the beginning of time. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. No one likes to take the blame. What would be the point? Who would want to say, “Yes, I did those bad things you told me not to do?”

It makes sense that people would rather rant and complain about everything in their lives rather than look at themselves. It’s a lot easier that way, and it feels much better. Nothing bad that happens is ever our fault. We are blameless. It’s everyone else who is the problem. There’s a line from a song by Imagine Dragons that’s been on my head a lot lately. It goes like this: “We don’t want to change. We just want to change everything.”

I like that band. They make good music. I do not like their ideologies, specifically this line. If you want to change everything around you without changing yourself, you believe everyone around you is the problem, not you. You’re blameless because that feels good.

You may be wondering what this has to do with writing. After all, this is a writing blog. I’m here to tell you this has everything to do with writing. It’s why about 3% of all writers who start a book finish it. My second book isn’t finished yet because I am very good at pointing fingers.

Blaming Time

We never have enough time to do everything we want. We have jobs, school, hobbies, friends, chores, and many other tasks that fill our day. The little free time we have, we spend resting or doing recreational activities. There is simply no time to write.

Except there is. You can make the time. Instead of scrolling through social media in the morning, write. Instead of watching TV or playing games in the evening, write. Writing will require sacrifice. You may have to sacrifice money, working a part-time job. You may have to sacrifice your social life, grades, or hobbies. Or, you could not sacrifice any of that and write where you can. Make writing your hobby.

The truth is, we have plenty of time to write. We don’t need hours to write. The amount of time you spend watching your show or playing your game, spend it on writing. You only need a little bit every day to get something done. You don’t need to write a thousand words a day. Start by writing a hundred and build it from there.

My point is this: not having enough time is an excuse for not writing. We all have plenty of time to write, we only have to choose to write during our free time rather than watching shows and playing games. It’s more challenging, but it is necessary.

Blaming Skill

There are some people out there that genuinely believe they cannot write. They want to write a novel, but they don’t know how, so they don’t write. But that is no reason not to write. We live in a digital age. The wealth of human knowledge is only a few buttons away. Websites like Masterclass, Skillshare, and YouTube make it easier than ever for anyone to learn anything they want.

If you don’t know how to write, learn. Then practice. I wrote quite a few short stories which were thrown in the trash before I started writing “Liar’s Legacy,” and even that book wasn’t much good. At this point, I have only written a couple of short stories that I am proud of. The book I am writing now is something that I am very proud of, and I hope to write some short stories about the characters soon which I will post on this blog.

You don’t have to start writing perfectly. No one does. You don’t sit down at the piano for the first time and play Mozart. You practice for years on end before you can play well. Same with writing. It isn’t raw talent. It’s a skill. Everyone can write, and now, thanks to companies like Amazon, anyone can publish their book without spending a penny. Anyone can be an author, whether you have the skills or not. If you have them, great. Write your masterpiece! If not, learn. There’s no time like the present!

Blaming Tools

Some people don’t write because they don’t believe they have the right equipment. They don’t have the right computer, the right software, the right space, or the right environment. They don’t have the money to purchase these tools either.

This is one of the most pointless arguments I have seen for why someone who wants to write isn’t writing. You don’t need money to write. I began writing stories using a notebook from school and a pen. That was it. Some authors, such as Niel Gaiman, and screenwriters, such as Quentin Tarantino, write all of their first drafts by hand with pen and paper. There are tons of free word processors. The website Reedsy has a free book editor. I wrote the first draft of a novella on it, which was terrific. I would highly recommend it to any author short on money. As for hardware, you don’t need a MacBook to start writing books. You can pick up a laptop at Walmart for $150, which would work fine. Or, if you are using the Reedsy book editor, you can visit your local library and use their computers. But be sure to log out after each writing session.

Conclusion

There is no excuse for not writing. If you have a novel in your head that you want to write, go ahead and write it. Learn the skills, practice with short stories, use whatever tools you have with whatever time you have, and write. You can write a novel using your practice short stories if you want. That’s how I wrote “Liar’s Legacy.” Each chapter is its own story and can stand on its own. I was still learning about writing then. Heck, I’m still learning, and I don’t think I will ever stop.

If I didn’t sit down and decided to write “Liar’s Legacy,” I wouldn’t be able to say that I had written a book. But I pushed myself, and I did something very challenging for me. I stopped making excuses and pointing fingers. I knew I could write it if I tried, so I did. I am now in the three percent of all people who start a book.

I couldn’t have done it on my own, though. I had my Aunt, who kept me on track, preventing me from making excuses. Because of her, I now know I can write novels. I owe a lot to her.

Get someone to keep you on track, too. Show them your work, and have them read your latest chapter or scene. Show them your short stories and get feedback. Get someone to keep you from making excuses.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.