I feel you man. It can seem insane to other people the sacrifices we make, but if it’s secondary to breathing, then you have to pursue it

Another way to look at this is to have an individualist mindset. The writer must be able to stand alone in their aspiration to write because no one else can fully understand them and their motivation to do such a thing. This is why it is often said that writers must write for themselves, first and foremost. If they write for others as a matter of top priority, they will never be able to bring forth their best effort, resulting in suffering from inevitable disappointment even in the face of commercial success. Writers must express their creative vision without compromising the integrity of their personal truth in the work. They can't do that if they care too much about what others think. The most recognized and celebrated writers didn't play it safe. They charted their own path and stayed true to their vision even when it would mean creating challenging work that not everyone would find palatable. Cormac McCarthy, for example, is not a writer whose work is easily consumed, but he found success despite the nature of his work being antithetical to easy reading.

to create stories that are good and true and beautiful - that's the goal. Thank you for encouraging the passion.

They say, it takes ten thousand hours of good hard work to be good at something. Anything. Somewhere inside my third book, at about the 60,000 word mark, things clicked. Was it at ten thousand hours? I don’t know. But it was then that writing became … it was when the characters became … it’s when it, and they, took on a life of their own. I wish everyone can experience that kind of joy in whatever they pursue.

So you need to believe that your writing is the most important thing in your life or you'll never make it, but you have to accept that you probably won't make it even if you put in the work. They're not contradictory ideas but I think both a bit exaggerated. You don't have to sacrifice everything or value your writing above all else to make it. You just have to write a great book and have some luck in finding the right agent/publisher at the right time. Time management and focus is what a person really needs. Well, besides writing skill and a story worth telling. Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has a family, he teaches a writing class, he does podcasts and appears on booktuber channels, and he's published like 50 novels. He sets out a specific block of time every day for writing. No one can bother him for those hours and he doesn't write outside of those hours. He's not sacrificing anything. He's just good at managing his time.

As always, you've given us something worthy to think about and remember as we face times of both doubt and celebration. I knew as a child that my life was about creating and living in stories, and that's the dream I've always followed. Everything but my two kids has come second in my life. And like the grizzled old writer on the mountaintop, I spend most of my time alone. To be honest, I kinda like it that way. I'm rarely bored or lonely. It's not a bad way to be, but it's not for everyone.

Great perspective! Thanks, Tim

This video was a kick in the butt bringing my perspective into focus probably for the first time. I have put several Sci fi works down over the last couple of decades in my spare time with the excuse that it was for my head, but the dream that it was publishing quality. I even vanity published a short novel 12 years ago but......welll......I'm still at my day job pissing off my boss (I'm self employed). I've seen some of your videos and realize that I am not terrible at this stuff, uneducated maybe but reasonably creative. Now it is time to sit or get off the pot! You ain't heard the last from RT Eckhardt Thanks!

One day I was parked at Smart and Final shaded by an overhang. Instead of going in immediately, I grabbed one of my yellow pads and was chuckling to myself. This lanky guy comes up to my open driver’s window. “Yes?” “Sorry,” he said, “Just wondering what you’re reading.” “This? It’s my science fiction story,” I answer. “Nobody does that anymore.” “What, write?” I was getting a bit put off by this guy who had to interview me for some reason. “No. The yellow pads. Nobody does that any more. It’s all computer now.” “It’s the only way I know. I like 9:34 the feel of it. Say, you’re that Mr Lunch fellow, writes for “The Sheet,” right? “Yeah, how did you know? He asked. “”Your syntax . You talk like you write.” That was the moment we recognized each other as writers. There was nothing much more to say because we both saw in the other the choices and similar trials that must’ve been made. Writers recognize each other, even if opposite paths are taken. Once bitten, it doesn’t heal.

If you choose to be an artist, you will be walking a very fine line until you die.

I’m grateful 🙏🏻 Just on point!

This is one of the very few videos where I have changed my voting from thumbs down to up. It does resonate in a non-intrusive and, in fact, constructive way. I wish you the best. I'm subscribing. Cheers!

My writing is meaningless. I only turned to it as I have nothing of substance in life to begin with; it's just something to do.

I like to think that if my first novel is published and in the hands of readers, they will say of my writing that it was mostly harmless.

I recently took a break from my writing endeavors because it was getting in the way of my time with my children. It can be so challenging to balance writing with life.

This story sounds very familiar at about 1:50. I hope it has a happy ending.

I have to breathe; if I don't, I'll die. I don't get paid for breathing, and people don't congratulate me. I have to write; if I don't, I'll die, or the part of me that finds life fascinating and drives my curiosity to understand myself and the world I live in will die. I don't expect to get paid for it, I don't expect to get acollades for it. It is the most important thing to me, and the thing I expect the least from.

I’m not seeing the tension here. This is basically the Stoic mindset of doing as much of the work as you can while not getting overly attached to the results. The results- people reading the story, it getting published, it making money, etc. are beyond your control. You can’t make people buy it, read it, talk about it, or publish it. You can put in full effort and make it as good as you can. You can decide to put your butt in a chair. You can spend time planning it all out.

A second thought. I think the word meaningless is a little strong. The act of doing has inherent meaning. Plus we're now in a world where words tend to stick around. There's a self published novel out there right now selling five copies a year that in forty years will suddenly be considered great. If you enjoy spending time writing that's meaning enough, and who knows. Great advice Tim.

The best stuff I've ever written, I seriously believed that no one would ever read it.

I’m in this neurotic space mentally. Refuse to be in deep relationships and have friends just so that I can write and draw everyday. From everything I’ve been through sustaining the pursuit -I would rather die alone just to have one or two meaningful creative accomplishments in my life even if no one saw it. Pity is all the world will see in you but you’re the only one that knows the truth.

Funny. I don't have time to write. So, I write from 10 till midnight. Every night.

I am on cloud nine when I am writing

This is the best writing advice I've heard. Bravo.

My art will always exist so long as reality does, and will it that it was meaningful to think of it on a scale that would include meaninglessness at all, if?

In brief: Double-Thinking Mindset We turn nothing into something but this something is also nothing. That's how I see it.

I like how over the last few months, your beard and hair have grown a little less trimmed. You're channeling grizzled bearded writer energy.

If you want to be great, then you need to make great sacrifices. If you want to be a legend, then you have to sacrifice everything. There have been many great stories from great storytellers throughout history. But only legends live forever. If writing is your calling, then the only thing more important than your calling is the God who called you to do it. After all, the greatest stories are about sacrifices, and the greatest sacrifice is the one Christ made for us all, so that we may all live forever through Him. It is through that journey to overcome adversity in this world that each one of our lives becomes a story worth telling.

I agree one thousand percent with every syllable! It's true that how we interpret these questions is subjective and personal. Let me give you my personal take, and you are free to reject that, or let it inspire you toward your own personal take: Question One: I think this relates to the concept of heroism. It might have been the distinguished Shawn Coyne (Ahem!) who I got this from, but I think what he said is that heroism is doing what in your heart you know completely is what you must do, and then doing it, regardless of the risk, and regardless whether you will prevail, or not. Do that, and you'll have no trouble looking in the mirror or sleeping at night. That is how a bibliophile with little training took a shot at being a Big 5 Editor for a quarter century and had a success record 2 1/2 to 3 times what the others might have had, and came up with tools to help us all. That's legacy, baby! Question Two: I think this relates to ego. If you let ego rule you, this paradoxical concept (Q1 vs. Q2) could end up driving you insane. Stepping aside from ego is accepting that yes, to the world, what compels you to follow the path laid out by Question One is likely not ever going to be important at all, to anybody (the world) other than you. But if you step away from ego, that just does not matter in the least. If the world likes what you create, terrific. Consider that an unexpected benefit. If you don't count on that happening, then you can ignore Question Two completely and concentrate on doing what you know you must do. I also think stepping away from ego results in much better writing.

Good advice. I needed to be reminded of it. Thank you. Gabriel Thomas Fiction

You’re right, I criticized your coffee shop story, but I’m sure that’s what it was for, thanks for the advice

Watching this video is the most important video I have ever watched and this video is also the biggest waste of time I have ever experienced. Both of these things are true. 0_o

To be fair, if you have to choose between going to your children's soccer games and going on dates with your wife, or writing... then don't get married in the first place if your writing is THAT important to you. If you are married with kids, I believe you can still write... but accept that it will be something like 10-20 years before you finish/publish anything, since you'll have such little time each week to work on it.

🤔🤔🤔

If I write a book and 10 people (who aren't my family) think it's good enough to spend their valuable time reading it, I will be running naked through the streets knee deep in snow.

I get what you're saying, and I agree, but that Liz Gilbert quotation is bonkers. You don't BELIEVE two contradictory ideas. You can be aware of them, but you don't believe both of them. She's just trying to sound clever.

Capitalism is a damn foolish reason to pursue growing as an artist.