"Living A Creative Life" | Hobby, Passion, Job... Or All Of The Above?

First and foremost, I've just returned from seeing Guardians of the Galaxy for a second time, and it was just as awesome. It is such a fun, interesting and creative movie that I can see having an appeal for all ages. It has niche' and mainstream appeal alike, hence it grossing $94 million in it's opening week. I can only stress that if you're a movie or comic book fan, go see the movie. It helped me tremendously in attempting to figure out a story/act structure, but has also continued to help me appreciate the power of music in any creative medium - needless to say, the soundtrack is fantastic, and as readers of this blog will no doubt know by now, music is such an important factor in my writing. Heck, as we speak, I'm playing "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes, and I'm smiling from ear-to-ear.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I sit back and ponder to myself whether or not this whole writing gig is everything it's cracked up to be. I mean sure, I have two stories published on Kindle that are a nice little earner, and I love to write and read. That being said, I would be lying if I said there weren't occasions where I wished my true passion and abilities lay elsewhere - a sport perhaps? Or exceptional skills on the stock market maybe? Either way, I kick myself for finding such happiness in writing.

Strange as it may sound, but just because you are talented at something and are passionate about it doesn't always mean you are going to enjoy it. On the contrary, there may come a time where that particular hobby or ability becomes an albatross, dragging you deep down into the abyss - darkness all around you, with no end nor hope in sight. Just never-ending nothingness. This my dear reader, is writers block.

Writers block strikes me at the worst of times. It plagued me throughout "When Justice Comes Calling", to the point where the project came to a stand-still and will most likely go unfinished, unless a miracle happens of course. It causes crippling doubts and has me questioning why I torture myself trying to overcome it - is writing that important to me to stress over it?

Naturally, the answer is yes. Anything that is important to you is worth the ups and downs that come associated with it, and writing for me is no different. I view it as a hobby and passion, a tool that has assisted me just as much as it has held me back. Projects have come and gone, as have journal entries and thousands of ideas. I've filtered through more crap than good, and that gem of a good idea became "45 Days". It's self-published, it's out there to buy... but that doesn't by any means mean I've succeeded. It's merely a stepping stone, no more, no less - not to diminish the work that went into it, or the pride I have for it though. I still hold it in high regard, but it isn't going to be the launching pad for me to write for a living, for a steady income.

As it stands, that is but a pipe dream. The end goal for all of this hard work is that I one day publish something enjoyed by more than most, that makes me a tidy profit in which I can start to work on my writing full-time and achieve a dream of mine. Far-fetched and unlikely to happen, perhaps, but never say never. But I'm not afraid to at least fight for it, try my absolute hardest to achieve that goal, and hey, if it turns out I'm wrong and it isn't meant to be, then that's a pill I'll have to swallow when the time comes. I can at least hold my head up high, say I tried, and even if I'm eventually told that my dream is wrong for me and never going to happen, I can take solace in the fact that I gave it my best. Nobody likes to be told they're wrong, but it's an eventuality I'm prepared for.

Not that I'm doubting myself, far from it. Confidence in spades and a fire to get back on that writing grind has meant that I'm reading more, brainstorming more and as previous entries have suggested, going back to basics with the fundamentals of my writing. I'm trying to increase productivity and lead a somewhat creative life - movies, music, books, life experiences, opinions, thoughts, dreams, ideas, writing... it all makes me who I am, and I'm discovering that along the way. 

Short entry this time around, I just wanted to contribute to this blog, write something fairly substantial and keep it as updated as possible. I figured I owed it to myself - hard work pays off, after all.

Do I have an idea? Of course, heck I have millions. That's just how my brain is geared.

But if you ask me, do I have the idea?

Maybe.

Just remember, this is not an exit.

Till next time, thanks for reading.

- Will