Let me tell you a bit about this sport called boxing. It’s tough and rough, no doubt about it. But the most difficult and painful parts are not the ones you see on TV. No, the fights themselves are just the parts that people get to see. The real fighting, the struggle, takes places off-screen. The time spent practicing, hours and hours of physical training, shadow boxing, sparring. That’s the tough part. A few minutes in a ring with another fighter don’t even come close to what happens during a training.
Do you see a resemblance with writing?
I believe you do. You write and write, and edit, and rewrite, and then you present your story to the world. They read it and tell you what they think. Some might envy you for your talent, but the truth is that it makes you smile bitterly, because they don’t know how much you’ve struggled, how many times you rewrote that sentence to make it perfect.
The most difficult parts of writing take place far away from the reader. In a way, the most difficult parts of writing take place far away from anyone. They take place inside your soul, as you rummage for plots and characters.
What I find funny is that a lot of writers are afraid to share their works with the world. They’re afraid of rejection, of criticism, they’re afraid the world is going to tell them they’re not good enough.
But they never consider the fact that they’ve worked so hard that it doesn’t even matter what the world thinks. Simply put, the world can’t defeat them anymore.
I know it’s a cheesy line, but think of it this way: you spend a lot of time alone, doing your thing, deleting tens of thousands of words, rewriting the ones that survive countless times. Don’t you think the world deserves to read them? Let them judge, let them rate them, let them love or hate them, but don’t be afraid of the world.
It’s like stepping into the ring. Yeah, you might get shouted and booed by a lot of strangers, but they can’t hurt you any more than that.
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Very true! Nicely said.
Amen
Reblogged this on Natalie Elizabeth Beech and commented:
Very interesting post!
I never thought of boxing and writing like that before. Thanks for the new analogy; I'll have to use it sometime in the future.
Awesome article. This philosophy can apply to everything we do.
Well put. I also seem a resemblance to life.
'see'. I detest auto correct!
Boxing is like life; we play basketball, play football, play baseball; we don't play boxing. Everything we are as human beings will be tested and exposed in that squared circle; just like life.
Great analogy! Very well said! I may need to reblog this one :)
Reblogged this on Janet Robinson and commented:
Wow, great analogy. Very insightful thoughts…
Such eloquence…
I write because I like to write, Boxers box because they like to box. Any other reasons beyond that is mute. Good piece enjoyed it
I absolutely love the analogy! Your writing really hits home, the effort and thought you place into your writing is evident, and I thank you for it. I love your writing, always real, always thought provoking, always an experience! Thank you :)
One of my good friends told me to write… not for me… but for my writings and thoughts….
And I'm glad I followed the advice
Cheers! :)
So true…We should all remember this quote and know that boxer think something similar to this as well while they are doing all that practicing.
“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.”― Cyril Connolly
Well said Cristian. My book "The Walk" (www.thewalkbook.com) endured numerous edits and even radical surgery, like eliminating much of the first two chapters and giving chapter three (Faith and the GLBT Community) a prominent "facelift," after the manuscript was "finished." If we're going to roll out our "hearts" to the world, we must be committed to signing off on the best book we can write. It's a process.
Apt analogy!
Wow! I've never looked at it that way. Heading back to edit a story…I feel like I've more fight left in me now. Great article. Thanks
Great article . Loved it.
Actual Hardwork happens behind the scenes, far away from the outside world.
World is just there to decide, judge or criticize. It really shouldn't matter cause at least we stood and came up to the ring rather than standing outside and watch.
For example powerful technologies were born in a closed rooms with lots of hard work.
ex: Apple's first computer, Google's search engine stuff, Facebook – these revolutionary ideas. were build on lots of hard work away from the world. Although they succeeded but there might be many who tried but failed. But atleast they tried.
It's good to lift the feet and fall rather than not to move forward for the fear of failure.
the trials and tribulations of a writer is in his works…how can he hide from the rest of the world…that's the way to go buddy…..
Dear Cristian, good analogy : )
You're absolutely right. I'm a visual artist but the analogy is the same. You have to develop a very thick skin and believe in yourself. Absolutley. If other people don't like your work, so what? I don't like all types of literature, music, art, film and that's not a criticism of other's work, just personal preference. Keep doing it and keep putting it out there :)
It is very easy to say negative things about something but most people would never be able to achieve something on their own!
Ooh. Great advice! I would even take this further and apply this advice to just about anything you do in life, whether it be photography, dancing, singing, etc. Thank you for this :)
I love writing. And I used to box years ago, as a hobby. It was a lot of fun. You're right. The real work takes place outside the ring.
Great post – thanks for the insight.
Great analogy. Love it!
Food for my soul. Thank you again
so true.
I could not agree more, I had family members who were boxers, and I did some as a teenager.
I'm a huge boxing fan. One of the things I love about boxers is they punch hard EVERY time. A good boxer throws a punch as hard as they can whether or not they think they will land it. This is the same as writing to me because not every work we do is going to be the next big thing, but you have to write it like it is. Do it for you. Don't do it for a guaranteed win. This sounds incredibly profound to me, but I have been drinking.
–Julie
You had me at "but I have been drinking" :)
Very well put, Cristian! I totally subscribe to this view. Nice analogy with the sport of boxing, so many things that happen behind the scenes go unnoticed. Its unfair then that the audience either treats you like a demigod or berates you depending on the end result only. But why fear! As Seth Godin once said in his blog: "The crowd will either judge you or ignore you. There's no third thing."
Wow! This is quite a comparison! I am inspired to share more and more of my works.
I had a similar thought over the weekend. I don't think people realise the trials and frustrations that goes into making something.
I find it hard to make something I like and then I have to force myself not to put a knife through it as I have done with my work so many times.
It can be very tiring and the feelings that the process awaken are often daunting.
so true! its so difficult to break the chains of fear; we are socially conditioned to drawn our own voice. everyday. we sometimes cannot even say what we want, out loud.
i believe hard work is needed on a daily basis to free our expression, written or verbal.
God help us (-whoever that is) as i see nearly everybody (that includes myself) sinking deeper and deeper in the sea of inactivity and apathy.
A powerful metaphor – and a great sentiment – thankyou
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
Thank you, I think I might just share my novel that I am starting to post online. The one that I have been scared to show people– so thanks! I really like your blog, your posts are consistently meaningful!!
You are right Christian. Writing a draft is the most difficult one, especially when you are writing not in your mother tongue language. Writing in English is very hard for me.
same thinking here but you presented it better
:)