Creating for the Unknown

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to listen to S. Ramakrishnan, one of my favorite authors and speakers. He launched his new books and gave a 2-hour lecture on the life and work of Honoré de Balzac, a French writer.

During his talk, he mentioned something about writers. He said that writers have struggled since the beginning of time, and the hardest thing in this world is to make money as a writer. While talking about writers, he also mentioned that every writer creates for the unknown. They don’t know their readers. They just assume that their work will be read.

If you’re a chef, you can see people accepting or rejecting your output. Because you can see how they react when they taste your dish. If you’re a movie director, you can see the audience’s response in a movie theater. But, if you’re a writer, you don’t know who accepts you or rejects you. You write because you believe it is good work and people will like it.

Writing is a lonely process. You don’t get active feedback. You can’t discuss your ideas and thoughts with everyone, and you don’t know when your work will be appreciated.

But, you’ll have to keep writing. That is the only way to success. An art collector makes a fortune from less than 1% of his total collection. When you produce a large volume of work, you increase the probability of your success as a writer.

Writing until you get recognition can be difficult, as there is no motivation or feedback. But, that is part of the job. You must keep experimenting until the world recognizes your talent.

If you’re into writing, the only advice I would give is: write, write, and write. Because there is no other way.