The Ultimate Course for the Aspiring Writer
The Ultimate Course for the Aspiring Writer:
Lesson 4
Facing Adversity: Fighter or Philosopher?
Hello again and welcome back!
It’s a confusing journey being a human being, isn’t it?
We start out receiving so much praise for every little thing. Our first steps. Eating food without throwing it. Making new facial expressions. It’s a really funny thing watching a room of adults get excited over a newborn performing the simplest tasks.
But as our ability to go to the bathroom the right way becomes less and less impressive, we find ourselves desperately longing for the attention we no longer seem to receive. As we progress into toddlerhood, the praise comes less and less and the expectations grow more and more.
We say: “Hey dad!” or “Mom, look!” a hundred times or more a day until they reluctantly turn their gaze on us. Half the time we don’t even have anything planned so maybe we do a little jump, perhaps with an added spin or dramatic landing to really blow them away.
But we get a forced smile and in an instant their attention is already somewhere else: our first encounter with adversity.
During these formative years, adversity is a real hard pill to swallow. Our tendency is to react with tantrums and tears but over time we learn to face hardship differently, with more maturity and a calmer attitude.
Our parents teach us to breathe, to think, to reason. They show us creative outlets and put us in sports and extracurricular activities so we can satisfy that need for stimulation and expression.
And let’s face it, that bottomless pool of energy we have as youngsters has to get burned off somehow so our parents can get some sleep once in a while.
It is only after years of experience that we finally nail down the most effective ways of handling the difficult situations that present themselves in our lives...
I thought a lot about how everyone struggles with adversity which led me to writing this piece, and I decided that we learn to deal with it in one of two ways: as a Fighter, or as a Philosopher.
The Fighter:
Encounters adversity and becomes fueled with a fiery energy, adamantly refusing to accept any obstacle on their path toward a goal as impassable.
If the way is blocked, they try to force themselves through anyway and rely on their tenacity and self-sufficient nature to see them through to the end.
They tell themselves that no barrier is too tough for them to overcome and often do not ask for anyone else’s help to succeed.
They are often independent warrior types.
Remember my mountain man brother? He is certainly a Fighter.
The Philosopher:
Encounters adversity and becomes quiet and reflective, taking a calmer approach to what is preventing them from getting what they want or to where they want to be.
If the way is blocked, they look for alternate routes or try to use reason and apply all they have learned to understand what it is that is obstructing them.
They tell themselves that though the barrier may be impassable, there is more than one way around it and willingly seek the advice of others.
They are often collaborative scholar types.
I, myself, am a Philosopher.
Both the Fighter and the Philosopher bring something unique to the table and possess their own advantages and disadvantages.
When grit and determination are necessary, in situations like projects with pressing deadlines and being disciplined to stay on task, the Fighter excels.
When tact and finesse are the way to go, like rethinking a strategy or overcoming a client’s concerns or hesitations in alternative ways, the Philosopher tends to be the better choice.
Is it possible for a Fighter to possess some of the qualities of a Philosopher or vice versa? Of course!
When it comes to personality archetypes, especially, nothing is set in stone.
But while there are exceptions to every rule, it’s more than likely that you embody one or the other most strongly.
So what if you are a Fighter? Or a Philosopher? What does this mean for you, aspiring writer? How can understanding which way you deal with adversity help you to become the full-fledged freelancing freakazoid you want to be?
Let’s say you’re working on some blog posts. Maybe you’ve got two or three pieces in the works and you’re hitting a wall, not sure which direction to take or what to write about next.
Should you take a step back, collect your thoughts, and tackle it in a few hours or the next day? Should you power through and force yourself not to leave your chair until the work is done?
Maybe you want to write a movie script but aren’t sure where to begin. You might have a line or a scene in your head that you think is just brilliant, but a whole film? That’s a lot to ask for with so little to work with.
Do you just start writing like a caffeine-crazed madman, putting every thought, line and scene direction in your head onto the page, regardless of whether you think it all fits at first? Or do you put some more time into the thought process, fleshing out your brilliant scene and the characters, maybe consulting your most brutally honest friend for feedback, and expand out from there?
Ah, you want to write sales copy for the big name brands, but when you write you feel like you’re trying to be somebody you’re not? It could just be a voice of doubt in your head that you need to push past so you can get your work done. Or maybe you need to listen to your gut and rethink your approach so you can have more confidence in your writing skills.
How you face adversity isn’t just the way you deal with it: it’s your voice; it is embedded in who you are and is essential to how you will make a name for yourself as a writer.
Have you ever read an article online and thought: “This just sounds so fake.” or, “I can tell this is not the kind of content this person is used to writing…”? I have. Whether you want to admit it or not, it is usually pretty clear when you are writing out of your comfort zone.
The same is true about how you deal with the speed bumps you face, both big and small, along the way in your writing journey: deal with them carelessly and they will show up in your writing in unflattering ways.
Sometimes Philosophers must fight. Sometimes Fighters must think. Sometimes.
Most of the time, sticking to your strengths and dealing with challenges in your own way will make you the best you that you can be.
Try this the next time you are watching a film, play or reading a book:
Pay close attention to the characters.
Take note of any details that are given to you about their background, their upbringing, anything that tells you about who they are and why they act the way they do.
Identify the type(s) of adversity that they are facing and have faced in the past and how they choose to handle such situations, why they decide to do what they do.
Then try to use all of that information to identify: who is a Fighter and who is a Philosopher?
Determine whether they stay true to themselves and how that affects their ability to deal with whatever they are facing (Are they a Fighter acting like a Fighter? Are they trying to resist their true nature and be more like a Philosopher? Do they simply try to avoid acting at all?).
The best storytellers do a great job of making the characters in their stories face consequences in proportion to their actions. If the character lies to someone, they often pay a price for it. If they lie to themselves, the price is usually even higher.
I believe by repeating this exercise you will be conditioned to recognize attributes in the characters within yourself, start to make a consistent conscious effort to be realistic about where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and in turn this will make you a better writer.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. If that’s true, I believe the same could be said about a writer.
The lasting impressions of upbringing are to a child as every book’s lesson, mentor’s advice and friend’s words of encouragement are to the freelancer.
Just as every person is imbued with the desire to actualize the greatest version of themselves, so it is with the writer, who is tasked with a constant pursuit of improving their craft. Pursuant to that task is the requirement of making taxing self-evaluations and confronting brutal truths.
But it’s also a lot of fun.
Putting oneself up to such scrutiny, as a freelancer does, is a remarkable endeavor that is often exhilarating in my experience. We make choices in our work as often as we make choices that define ourselves.
We are given the pen that draws the lines between all pairs of opposites, right and wrong, liberal and conservative, hero and villain, Fighter and Philosopher, and empowered to blur and overlap them, or separate them more distinctly as we see fit.
The weight of the task is on some days as light as an Etruscan shrew and on others as heavy as a backpack full of uranium.
On the heaviest days is when our true mettle is tested.
On these days, the bravest Fighters and Philosophers decide not to hide from adversity, but fight and think and claw and reach to places no rational person would dare try to go.
On these days, the winnowed grain falls defeated to the floor while the triumphant chaff is allowed to sail on the high winds.
On these days, the best writers are revealed.
What will it be for you? I can't wait for you to show us!
Class Dismissed!
Stay tuned for the final installment of The Ultimate Course for the Aspiring Writer: Lesson 5!
Comments
Post a Comment