I’m twenty two years old. And I write. What’s funny is that I’m not a patient man. Patience is one of those things you acquire in time. I want to write great things and I want to write them now.
For a young, inexperienced writer like myself the world seems to spin twice as fast. I don’t have time to stop, to ponder, to throw away pages of literature. I want to inspire in people what my favorite stories inspired in me.
I write as if tomorrow will never come. I write as if today is the last day of my life.
Funny, isn’t it?
But it’s true.
I believe that young, inexperienced writers set out to write the words they think the world desires to read. The words the world needs. When they gain a bit of experience, they set out to write the words they desire to read. And that’s a pretty big difference.
I’m not sure this applies to me now, but when I was younger, I wanted to use all my ideas and characters and put them into a single story. I thought that’s how masterpieces are made.
With experience you realize how precious ideas are. You store them. You also realize that in order to write a story you need just one idea.
Some write as if the world is going to end tomorrow, and some as if the world is never going to end.
"Patience, how long will that take?" — Ed Gruberman
Very wise words, especially your distinction of whom your audience is.
These days, I write what I know I probably will be able to share with others.
If you think the world seems like it's spinning twice as fast now, wait until you hit sixty . . . it all seems like a blur.
Ah, but some of us never really develop patience. ;) I do like your piece though, a lot. What I like about this site the most is being able to read others blogs, to see how they feel, see what drives them, see what inspires them to write. I like following your blog.
The velocity of time is variable according to age :D
Is it your painting? I have been stuck looking at it for a few minutes now, it has that special something.
It really comes with time. I am 51 now and I think I am more patience than I had when I was young, although I have less time left.
I think there are books that are very full with characters and very wonderful. And there are books written in a minimalist way and also very wonderful. The books young people write are different from the books older people write. Don't think about it. While you are young you will write young men's things and when you are older, you will write different things.
Just write what you feel is right at the time.
By the way, who made that picture. It is wonderful.
Patience is a virtue, especially when there is no other alternative. I'm sixty something, and I too aspire to write great things and write them now. Just keep writing – someday, the great things will come.
I once saw a comic about a frustrated gym teacher yelling at his pupils for making unflattering remarks about someone without all the perks that sometimes come with youth. He said; "You see that beautiful girl over there? She's getting by on her looks right now, and this one you are making fun of, she's developing a personality. This one may look like a dream girl Barbie in her car at the beach house, but later on in life, the one you're making fun of will be good company, full of stories, and the other one will look like a hunk of faded plastic with seagull shit on it.
There is something to be said for paying your dues, or at least never believing the press of sycophants if you make it big while you're young, even though it does not hurt to get there sooner than later. Working hard to make a difference will always be of value.
I don't know that one necessarily acquires patience with time. In many respects I would say that the further one moves along the life-cycle the more the sense of urgency becomes and at times this can emerge as 'absolute' impatience.
As a sociologist, I would love to be able to follow you and your generation over time, especially in terms of perspectives on writing, to see how they evolve with age.
Best wishes from Ireland ~ the land of writers!!!
Wow. So young and look where you are now, how far you have gone. I'm twice your age, my passion is writing and only now, after many attempts, I started my blog. You're way ahead, don't stop. Never do. Congrats!
I do the same thing – writing what I have to say RIGHT NOW because I don't know if tomorrow will come.
Patience is a virtue that most writer's lack. Dig the blog man
Cristian Mihai, got what you meant, some time in the past , I think, I too went through this phase…keep writing!!!
when you are getting older, you will be more patient.
"Some write as if the world is going to end tomorrow, and some as if the world is never going to end." – aptly said. I read your your blog almost daily..
Love ur words. U r still young. Patience..:)
WHAT?? You're twenty two; we are going to be the same age soon (my b-day is this weekend). You seemed older to me by the way you write; oh well, at least, you are wise beyond your years :)
This is very profound, and beautifully written in and of itself. :)
Interesting that you wrote this today, of all days. I lollygagged through my life, thinking that tomorrow would be the day I would write the thoughts and images and words in my head down. Today had been too busy, today had been too hard at work; I said this for years.
And then, on this very day, 2 years ago, a devastating earthquake struck our city, with an intensity and force I have never felt before or since (and I never want to feel it again). It was so strong that it threw me across the room (my feet actually left the ground). In one of the most earthquake-prepared countries in the world, utilising some of the strongest earthquake-resistant building methods, our city crumbled around us as we faced a 1-in-2,500 year event with the strongest ground acceleration ever recorded in or near a city. People we knew died, or watched their loved ones die, and never got to say that final good-bye.
Too many people left so many words unspoken, so many words unwritten, because, like me, they thought today had been too busy; I'll do it tomorrow. But tomorrow never came for some of them.
So, if there's one thing the experience has taught me, it's that you should keep writing as if there will be no tomorrow… Because you never know what tomorrow will bring.
ALWAYS write for yourself. It NEVER works when you write to please someone else. GOOD post.
I'm 55 and still write as if I won't be around to finish what I started. Age may not matter so much. Maybe we just are who we are.
Ah yes, patience…the least of all my virtues. I write what I feel. Of course, I'm not looking to inspire anyone, but if it happens, it happens.
Patience is said to be a virtue and yes, I think you become more patient with time and maturity.
Patience is a virtue – so the claim of every passive aggressive… (I'm not suggesting that you are, Kim, yours was just the first comment that I saw that said that).
ciao! just write that one idea…
thebestdressup
Some people live before their time. Others live after their time has passed. And then there are those who live neither before nor after.
All great masterpieces have a core of simplicity.
What an intellect at 22! Always enjoy reading your sage observations on the writing life.
Wait until you hit seventy-five. Sixty was yesterday.
I have the wisdom of 75 . . . does that count?
I find the greater my years, the lesser my wisdom.
"Patience is one of those things you acquire in time."
No…..it really isn't. But good luck with that!
This helps me when I'm having one of those days………..
“Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and there’s no chance for a pardon. Write like you’re clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and you’ve got just one last thing to say, like you’re a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for God’s sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we’re not alone. Write like you have a message from the king. Or don’t. Who knows, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have to.” —Alan Wilson Watts
Is the Jackson Pollock painting significant? All that frenzied activity that builds up to a wholeness that is coherent and meaningful?
I didn't give much thought to it. I'm a huge Pollock fan, and I just picked it as a cover photo for my blog. If it's somehow related to what I wrote, then I didn't do it on purpose.
I'm a huge Pollock fan as well
Perhaps if we all write as if the world will end tomorrow, our writings will become the part of the world that will never end.
I feel this way. I want to write all the things at once, and so I end up writing nothing at all!
I understand this whole sense of urgency as you grow older, but I also feel (and assume) that when you're young, you're so eager to have it all, to do it all, that at times you don't stop to think if what you're doing is really worthy of your time. You just want to do stuff. When you gain a bit of experience, you realize that it takes time to build something great, and you're also inclined to make mistakes.
This might sound weird, but really having patience is about being willing to make mistakes, to go down a road and to be aware that it might not lead you anywhere, and you'll have to go back. To some that's wasting time, to others, it's called experience.
I reckon a lot is about each individual's temperament, life experience, upbringing. One can't generalise as everyone is unique. Age is just one factor in the whole equation and it seems to me that patience and impatience come and go like a merry-go-round irrespective of age. So much is about belief, interest in what one is doing, enjoyment and a sense of losing oneself in the moment.
The roads you mention are there at all ages ~ choices have to be made or sometimes they are made for you. But, my advice, for what it's worth is to follow your dreams and seek to realise your full potential. None of us knows when the end will come so in that respect age means nothing. Maybe, though, there is a growing realisation of that very fact with age. I'm not sure.
You write beautifully so as long as you enjoy what you are doing and feel that it is the best use of your precious time, keep going. We enjoy reading what you write!!
Actually, as someone who has been forty-three years-of-age for a few weeks now, I do not feel a sense of urgency. I AM enjoying my life more now and simply have faith that things are unfolding naturally, without struggle or conflict, inner or outer.
And I AM remain quite eager and interested in having it all!
It's a painting by Jackson Pollock.
I should have known. I suspected so. Thank you.
Nope. Jackson Pollock. But, yes, it is quite special.
Patience is a virtue that takes time to learn.. funny how that works huh?! :-D.. To learn how to be patient, you have to wait.. :-).. Anyway i believe you are right, most young writers do write having in consideration what the think the world wants to read, i had a hard time with that myself when i began writing, but as time goes by, you realise you can not please everyone, so the best thing to do is just to write what will make you happy, and eventually you will realise that people will appreciate that. :-)
wow! I don't know what to say…
They say tomorrow never comes,
It does, but have no fear,
Tomorrow is today when it is here.
I love the Jackson Pollock, Bro!
Here's another one of my favorites!
http://www.jackson-pollock.org/images/paintings/a…
When I was fresh out of my undergraduate learnings in the English Department of Moo U (Iowa State), I was going to write novels that solved all problems, eliminated social injustice, and created world peace and harmony. Now, thirty four years later, the fact that we don't have all those things already in our society is mostly my fault. Everyone with an idea in their head should write it down before they're dead, but don't despair if the brightest diamonds aren't there until you no longer have any hair.
Patience for me is different depending on the circumstance. For instance, when I paint I have patience. I take my time to form the picture in my head before I have started without even doing this on purpose. It's what the routine has become over the years. As I paint or sketch, patience manifests in two ways. First, it's my desire to enjoy it. There is something almost magical when you see lines of an object only half formed. When you witness the layers of shading and colors gradually build to eventually become the final piece. I love that. Sometimes, it's the in between parts that I enjoy more then the end. It's in the unfinished that I can see beauty. Most importantly, this process is something that is completely mine. I enjoy it for myself regardless of the outcome.
It's not always that way in all the things I do in my life, though. Most of the time once a decision is made I want to do it instantly. ^.^
I think that your tendence to get everything immediately is the result of a very fast society that doesn't let you to take your time.
I'm young as you and I could tell you that this way to approach every situation affects the majority of us.
So, don't be worried about it! You've already achieved a very important step for your maturity way: the consciousness (a very relevant stage, considering that people normally don't care about these introspective topics). Now you've just to apply yourself to be more patient.
Good luck!
Just wait til 40, mi amigo.
I began my first novel when I was 33. Rewrote and finally published when I was 65. I'm now on my second novel. As a writer ages, I think the writer finds new ways to make time stand still, expand or contract to fit his needs. You seem to be on a faster timetable than I experienced. That's a good thing.
Fast trail. Slow path. I think it's inconsequential. The important thing is that you are writing. Just try not to stop, regardless of what life throws at you.
I'm 17 and nothing.
All my life I've been taught by everyone ( but my mother) How important it is to write more, to express how you feel. How important it is to use big words, to be expressive and I longed to prove them wrong and Now I can gladly show them this and prove to them how in words, so few and language- beautiful but decipherable,One can say so much.
What no one ever taught me was, how important it is to write, and write freely and happily. Thank you, So much. It was a joy to read this. :)
Love this post so much. I'm 33 and I still get impatient with myself about writing. About everything. I think I still hang on a bit to what I think the world needs to read, but I do find myself (more and more as I get older) wanting to write what I desire to read. Because no one's written anything like what my ideas are right now. I also think that I write like the world is never going to end.
I have found this to be true (now that I'm not a young writer any more!): "With experience you realize how precious ideas are. You store them. You also realize that in order to write a story you need just one idea."
I loved this post. It's filled with excitement and insight.
Nia
I write stories too, but only for myself. Most of them are only halfway done because i get to impatient or I run out of ideas. Since I'm still young I hope patience comes around with time and befor I turn forty ;)
As we grow older, we no longer know whom to awaken, the living or the dead
- Céline
hmmm…gives me a lot to think about….thanks.
love this! i totally feel the same way sometimes. all my ideas must be acted upon immediately. i've started a "spark file" on my computer where i can write down things that cross my mind and can come back to later.
It's as if every word were stolen from my lips.
I prefer to write and learn as if the world is never going to end – because if I think about the world ending tomorrow, then I'll be writing about how I'm going to survive.
Thanks for visiting my blog about FREE COLLEGE. My husband has published 5 ebooks on amazon. It's free. So is Smashwords. Of course things like covers and editing are not free unless a friend does that for you. Good LucK :)
Use it up. Use it all up: http://youtu.be/4-QfkcAR7to
This might be rude but- I just can't believe you're only 22! I thought you were 40-50 something when I read your works. Excuse my rudeness. I do think you're an inspiration to all the young (and old) writers out there. Thank you for sharing your intellectual thoughts and realizations. Looking forward to more! :D
You say that you still have a lot to figure out… But I think you're an excellent writer. I like young writers, because they're less apt to care what others think about. Some of us old folks have to be rewired.
Interesting post, Cristian! I think great work can be produced at every stage of life – it's about voice and insights in the moment. When I look back at my own early writing, I'm surprised by the mind that I had then, both in its difference and its similarity with how I think and write now. I value all my work from all my ages equally, and I'm sure you are as readable and insightful now as you will be, in different ways, when you are in your thirties, forties, fifties.
You already have a voice. At 22,you are an awesome writer. By age 3o we do not know what will happen. it is really amazing to read your work.You are an inspiration.
Cliché-age is just a number. Case in point, Mozart was 8 when he composed his first symphony. Take your age out of the equation and write with passion as your compass. Write for you, whether you are taking the perspective of the audience or the writer is irrelevant. Every perspective has its own intrigue. No matter what medium, true masterpieces are created because they were born from a fire within. You write well, you love doing it. Let go of the physical and be free in your compositions, otherwise you restrain yourself.
my first thought too…Pollock is so beautiful as much as abstract and complex and simple
So you want to be a writer. i say just do it. Open your veins, let your emotions fly and write. It's a solitary world and you fill it with fictinal characters. So much power!. Best to you.
Cristian, I didn't start until I was 62, so your way ahead of me. I wish you much success. Also, thank you again for stopping by my blog and liking my current post. I really appreciate it. Take care, Bill
Patience is something people see on the outside, something they credit you with because you aren't storming or giving up, on the inside there is persistence, planning and evaluation. I think the only reason older people seem to have more patience is that they don't want to waste energy on things that won't make a difference.