Don't let them stand in your way

Something that I’ve learned over the past few years of my life, is that not everyone will like or agree with what you do. In this particular statement, I’m talking about fictional writing; however this applies to anyone who loves to share their creativity and/or talent. I've come a very long way, since the age of twelve, when I began writing chapter stories, and I’m very proud of that fact, because had I not tried hard enough to achieve a better understanding of literature, I would not be any better today. However, over the years of writing and sharing my work, I came across not only the people who enjoyed reading my stories, but also the ones who hated it. It was inevitable and remains so to this day. There will always be someone critical of something, no matter what it is. Unfortunately it’s just the way the world is.

However I’m not here to talk about my writing, but rather what others may be going through, possibly even you. I have seen so many people give up on something they loved because of being put down for it; whether it of been writing, singing, photography, graphic designing, dancing, acting, or whatever it is they enjoyed. Unless you were just lucky enough to have been born with a God given talent, you’re not going to start off by doing anything 100% correct. In all honestly, neither do the ones who were blessed with such talent(s). Which is why I have written and posted this; because I want everyone to know that in able to get anywhere in life, you have to work at it and give it your all. Something that I've lived by for years, is just this: Use the bad critics advice more than the good, as a reason to want to push yourself forward.

There’s also a difference between good criticism and bad criticism. If someone is being down right hateful, then ignore them. They’re more than likely jealous of the fact that you could actually come up with something that they can’t. However, you should take good criticism to heart, even if it may hurt to see at first just like the bad. When I first started off, people would tell me I needed to use better grammar, different words rather than repeating the same thing multiple times in one paragraph, etc. Without people telling me to do those things, I would have never caught the error of my ways and tried to fix them. I’d still be just as bad a writer as day one (and yes, I was a pretty bad writer. Good story lines, bad writing technique).

If you truly love doing something and it makes you happy, whether you wish it to be a life career or a daily hobby, never let anyone get in your way. Always push yourself to the maximum and when you look back on how you started off, you won’t believe how far you’ve actually come.

Just for a little example of my own writing; I pulled this from “A Beautiful Lie” I wrote in 2007:

The night came quickly. It was 9pm and Jared and I were alone on the bus, or so he thought. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck and he smiled. I leaned in and kissed him then ran my hands down his sides until I felt the gun.

I pulled the gun out quickly and jumped back away from him and cocked it.

"Now whos got the gun?" I aimed it at him.

He laughed. "You're a very smart girl, I'll give you that much."

And an example of something I’ve currently working on:

I stepped into the witness stand, looking up at the judge as I took my seat. A small smile played at the corner of her lips and she gave me a quick reassuring nod. I inhaled deeply once more before I looked over everyone in the court room. It seemed impossible to ignore the fact that the man who’d hurt me was sitting no more than ten feet away. I could feel his eyes piercing into me, burning through my flesh. Glancing over at him for only a few seconds, my stomach felt as though it had tied itself into a knot. He smirked, and it was that moment that I realized I was letting him win, just as my counselor had told me not to. He could sense my pain and it was exactly what he wanted.

I know I see a major difference between the two, as do many others.

As I stated above and I will say it again, never let anyone hinder you from doing what you love most. Always push yourself to the maximum and don’t let anyone get in your way. If everyone who’s ever been disliked stopped doing what they loved, books, movies, and music wouldn’t exist today.