“Everybody knows you never go full retard.”
Well you know what, hilariously racist portrayal of a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude, I will go full retard, and by full retard, I mean embrace my calling as an aspiring, struggling writer. There’s just one problem.
It sure is Lisa. It sure is.
Anyway, I suppose because I put the fact that I’m an aspiring blogger/writer on my Linkedin profile, that means this is really it guys. I’m really gonna commit to it this time. But I’ve been down this road before, several times. I say I’m gonna write, then I write a story about flashy swordsmen and old perverts (a reference only Wandag knows. Man I really need to get to know more famous people), then about halfway though the narrative, I just give up, and don’t go back to it until like 7-8 years later when I continue the imbecilic cycle. But, you know, that was the young me. The old me is wiser, less flighty and more industrious. I’ve been in a job for so long that’s instilled in me an unwavering loyalty to my tribe, a reliable work ethic, motivated productivity, and comprehensive communication skills that I should be cranking out books like Stephen King on steroids.
Are you saying “yup” I should, or “yup” you’re an idiot? I’m gonna go with the latter.
But sadly, I still feel the same insecurities, self-doubt and laziness holding me back. The only difference this time is, yes, I have gotten wiser. I have developed a work ethic I never would have gotten outside the Air Force. Hell, I wouldn’t have gotten this far on making a blog had I not gotten the financial security and hard knock life lessons the military has given me.
By the way, did you know that according to CareerCast, the #1 most stressful job of 2017 (and more than likely 2018 til infinity) is enlisted military personnel? But that’s a topic for another time.
Going back to this commitment I’m going to make on writing, f*ck it. I’m a writer. That’s what I’ve been doing this whole time and every time I do it I feel fantastic, whether I finish a piece or not. It’s time that I embrace the fact that I want my calling to be someone who puts words on paper and makes readers go “ooh,” “aah,” “oh,”
(Note to self: update your pop-culture references)
But yeah,
- Step 1: Say you’re a damn writer!
- Step 2: Don’t fall into this trap.
- Step 3: Find an audience/genre/niche
…and that’s my next step. Who do I want to write to, and for? About 32 days ago (which is 4/20 by the way, har har) I wrote an outline of all my interests and experiences and they’re all over the place.
- I watch Youtube videos (who doesn’t?) that dissect pop culture, teach life lessons and talk about my most favorite game of all time.
- I watch HBO shows like Game of Thrones, WestWorld or Neflix shows like Black Mirror or Stranger Things (again, who doesn’t?).
- I’ve worked in 22 military bases, lived in 3 countries, 4 United States (5 if you count Guam), deployed in 4 AORs (sorry, Areas of Responsibility, which I’ll cover in a future entry) and worked with 9 different nationalities (uhh . . . who else has?)
Suffice it to say, I have a lot of experiences I’d like to share with people. It’s just a matter of me writing it in a way that people will find interesting, and finding enough people who find it interesting.
So here’s to going Full Retard, and making this a worthwhile calling. Like Robert Downey Jr. said:
…Or something like that.
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