$30 Project

barthel:

Never fall in love with an idea. There’s always another one around the corner, and if it doesn’t work now, maybe it will later. And no one needs to know every single one of your opinions.

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Mike Barthel is a very lovely writer. And a lovely person too, I might add, for taking the time to jot down such an incredibly thoughtful response with great advice to age-old questions about writing like, “How do you do it?!” and “How do you make any money off of it?!” 

The little tidbit above was my favorite part because it’s what got me stuck for YEARS. Years, people. YEARS. In fact, I’m just now getting over it.

I spent a long time as a tiny idea hoarder, terrified that no other ideas would ever come way. I sat atop my pile of ideas, “MINE. ALL MINE!” and refused to let go. I suppose that I could say it was a colossal waste of time, but perhaps it’s just what I needed to go through to actually get something down on paper.

I also like that Mr. Barthel truly stresses the value of an editor. As someone who edits on the regular, I am often shocked when my writers don’t know the most interesting parts of their own stories. I am frequently asked, “But… will people want to read about THIS?” So, you should definitely show your work and show your work often. (In addition to being an idea hoarder, I was also a closeted writer. I would write and then never let anyone see it. DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO.) This will also help you learn the difference between good and bad opinions, valuable and senseless advice, in addition to a couple of things about your own intuition. Life lessons!