One of my favorite authors is Chuck Palahniuk. He is the freakin man and I'm sure you have heard of Fight Club, his most famous novel. Although I love all his work, the one that I recommend is Rant. Anyway, he used to post a lot of advice and work-shopping ideas on his website. I believe they have been moved to LitReactor, but I was able to find one by searching google. He has posted 13 writing tips that seem to be very insightful. After reading this, I can see that even a published author, even one of my favorite ones, can have a hard time writing. This is a very encouraging concept because we tend to think of our idols as more than human and somehow untouchable. After reading this I was like, "Oh yeah that sounds like a good idea!" and "Wait just a minute! You're telling me that Chuck Palahniuk had a hard time ending Fight Club???" I always like reading stuff like this from my favorite authors, because it seems to give me more drive to write which can sometimes be very tough.
Sometimes I find myself not wanting to include something in my stories or poems that might give something away about myself that I am not comfortable with anyone knowing. Conversely, I am sometimes afraid of writing something that is truly fiction but might raise people's eyebrows or cause them to believe that there is something wrong with me. Maybe they might think that if I write something too taboo, or too disturbing that it is a reflection of myself and there must be something wrong with me. In either case, whether it be true or fiction I find that if I want to put it down on paper, then it should be put down on paper. You have to be honest in your writing because otherwise it shines through and the reader can smell your B.S., it's the same way in life. You have to put yourself on the line. In Invisible Monsters there is an appropriate quote: "The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open."
Let the surgery begin.
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