Content Creation Secrets

Some years back, I met a retired foreign service officer at a film festival. When he heard I live by my pen, he started talking about writing.

His knowledge of the writer’s craft was impressive. He talked about award-winning writers and how they went about getting ideas and turning them into great works.

Obviously, he had picked up these details from reading writer interviews.

He had some advice for me.

He said, “Keep on writing. One day a great idea may just fly in through the window and you’ll strike it rich.”

I asked him, “Are you a writer yourself?”

He said, “No, I’m not.”

I wanted to know why he was not writing when he knew so much about the craft.

He said, “Well, my English is not good enough.”

I told him his English was good enough for writing, He didn’t need anything better.

He shook his head and said, “No, you need good English to write.”

I gave up. Speaking English all his life and being a voracious reader did not yet qualify him to write.

I wanted to tell him, “You can write like you speak.”

I knew it was no use. This man was not going to take any advice because he had made up his mind not to write.

Now as I pen these words, I wonder, “Has he started writing or is he still complaining about his `bad’ English?”

I’m sure he has no idea when his English will get better but he will be safe in his my-English-is-not-good-enough excuse. This excuse will certainly shield him from the hazards of writing.

Even if a great idea flies in through his window, he’ll say, “Thanks for the idea, but I can’t write a word yet because my English is not good enough.”

So, what will he do while waiting for his English to be good enough? You guessed it right. He will continue speaking good English and most importantly, he will advise writers to keep pushing on because a million-dollar idea may just fly in through the window.”

Know anyone who gives this `perfect’ excuse?

Or do you yourself give it?

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