Writers, Embrace The Power Of Suck

I know writing isn't just about writing. It's about editing. Over and over and over and over. Oh, and one more time after that... 

But this is not a post about polishing that draft to a blinding shine of awesome. This is a post about the pile of crap you call your first draft. This is also a post about taking that crappy first draft and embracing it.

Why? 

Because the power of suck changes lives.

Think about it: do you give your best when things are great? When the odds are in your favor? Is that when you whip out the blood, sweat and tears (and chocolate)? No. 

And if you do, come a little closer to the screen. I'm going to give you a cyber slap in the face.

A friend of mine is going through a tough time right now. Her little brother is sick (leukemia) and she's lost all hope of recovery. The power of suck has taken over, but in a bad way. She's not embracing it in order to let it teach her something, whether about herself or about life. My job is to remind her it's not over yet. It won't be until it is. There's always something good hidden behind the messy bad, and it'll teach us a heck of a lot more than we expect. 

So instead of thinking ahead and saying 'Oh, I need to fix this and that to make it better' or 'Things will only get worse if I don't do something RIGHT THIS SECOND', stop and smell the pile of crap for a while. There's only one Superman and one Wonder Woman. Guess what? It's not you. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Embrace the power of ordinary. Suck out loud with all your might. 

Then hit Delete and start over. 

What do you say? Join me in my suckfest?