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The point is to have an opinion
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Hey Reader, “The point,” James Victore said in a creative workshop, “is to have a fucking opinion.” We can’t make art — or teach anyone anything — without an opinion. Our opinion; not someone else’s. Oscar Wilde said: “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” This has never been truer than in the era of social media, when we’re all so busy we gobble down our opinions as soundbites, fed to us by “thought leaders” and “spokespeople” with an agenda of their own. We forget we have a voice of our own; it’s drowned out in the noise, it’s beaten out of us at school where we’re taught skills by rote and that our weirdness is undesirable. And when, as adults, we start to wonder if we might use it, we’re too afraid. What if we look stupid? What if we offend someone and get cancelled? What if we actually cause harm? All those things might happen, but they’re not irredeemable. We’ll make mistakes because we’re human; that’s not the point. The point is to learn, and grow, and do better next time. That fear keeps us small and meek and silent. Remember this: if you don’t use your voice, other people will take charge of it. And you. Terrible things are done in the names of people who don’t use their voices. And to them. So let me ask you this: what do you really think? About the things that matter to you? What would you write if you could guarantee no negative consequences at all? Go, write it. You don’t have to show anyone. What are you afraid of? TTFN, Vicky p.s. I can help you with this, if you’d like, with Write Every Damn Day on Easy Mode. We’ll find out what you’re afraid of; what’s holding you back and keeping you quiet. We’ll pull out the amazing ideas and opinions in your head and examine them and find out what you want to say about them. Then, every weekday for 30 days, I’ll send you a personalised, unique-to-you writing prompt based on our call. They will not be your usual prompts; they will not be light and fluffy. They will challenge you, inspire you to do something with them, and get you using the voice you already have. If this sounds good to you, let’s do it — right here. p.p.s. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, you can:
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Learn to Write Like You Mean It
A daily newsletter by Vicky Quinn Fraser
Good day to you! Join 500+ writers, creatives, misfits, and weirdos and learn to write like you mean it in 10 minutes a day. Get ONE practical tip, story, or shenanigan Monday to Friday 🖖🏼
Hey Reader, I’m thinking of starting a club called The Bad Art Club. What do you reckon? Would you join? Mostly a rhetorical question, so you don’t have to answer unless you really want to. In the Creative Playground this morning we were talking about weekend plans and one of mine is to paint something. I dragged my watercolours out last weekend and stared at them for a while. Then, yesterday, I painted a birthday card for a friend. It’s not terribly good, but it is silly, and I enjoyed...
Hey [FIRST NAME GOES HERE], Most people don’t want to write. They want to have written something. And I get that. I want to be able to do the splits… But I don’t want to actually stretch and train it… because training is hard work and it’s frustrating seeing my legs at a right angle when my friend over there is fanny-to-the-floor Splitty McSplit Face and rightfully smug about it. The question then becomes: how much do I want to be able to do the splits? What am I willing to endure to get...
Hey [FIRST NAME GOES HERE], You don’t need “the muse”. You need a consistent writing practice. One may appear just at the right moment for you, like the capricious and unreliable floozy it is, but the other means you’ll create your own inspiration, every single day, no matter what that unreliable floozy may be up to. So: let’s create that consistent writing practice, shall we? Write Every Damn Day on Easy Mode is available all throughout May, and by the time we’re done — after 30 days —...