Blogging is not an easy beat; it’s not supposed to be easy.

If all you had to do was drop down in front of a screen, smash some keys and thoughts together, then everyone would be blogging. There would be no more notebooks spilling out off bookcases, nor socially awkward artists struggling to piece together their personal opus into a fifteen second elevator pitch.

If creation was easy, then we’d all have Brilliant_TM ideas. So how do you reach success in your writing journey?

There is No Try

Maybe it’s a cop-out to reference one of the most quoted characters from Star Wars, but if it a multi-universal truth, then it’s well worth repeating.

No. Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.

In a pivotal scene, Luke has to lift his ship out of the swamps – the only mode of transportation on and off the planet. His friends don’t even know he is there. He is essentially alone, cooped up with a weird little green man who can do crazy things with his mind. Frustrated with barely moving it out and Yoda lecturing about the Force, Luke walks away saying “You want the impossible.”

What can possibly be more similar to being successful? It is a want- no, need to aim for the impossible. Because by looking at something as an obstacle, no biases in mind other than just assessment, you can see what is actually possible.

Saying “try” is to assume failure. “Trying” is accepting the inevitability of poor decisions. There is no grace in “try”, for you have not given yourself the space to grow and learn.

Why Do I Try?

I will never claim to be the best at writing or blogging. I’ve read enough Classics, met and studied under such fantastic writers, that comparison seems pointless. There will always be good writers, rising and wise alike. So why? Why do I bother blogging, continue to scatter poetry into everyday writings, dream of eloquent comebacks, or even repeat puns upon puns.

Because that is who I am; my habits to brighten the day, to infuse beauty into complicated angry emotions; I blog with earnest as this is how I wish to communicate with others. It is freeing… I won’t be interrupted, steamrolled, pushed back into the pile of other ignored voices.

Blogging was a distant dream long ago, born from a need to escape repetitive and intrusive thoughts about sexuality. Whilst some women explore bisexuality on flirtatious forums or between drinks at parties, I fell back into old habits: reading and writing. Reading meant research, but something curious happened in 2012. Comfort came in the form of expressive writing on a Bi-women’s forum. I was able to piece together the emotions with the largely philosophical thoughts on the self and expression.

There were positive responses- ones that made me believe that I was onto something, even though my life was entirely falling apart. It was a gem of inspiration – one that even suggested to create a meet up over in Las Vegas for a weekend.

That never manifested, and the site fell victim to bots and spam. There was no humans left, no women to woo with prose. When I was in the cracks of life that blog disappeared, posts unrecoverable. Everything since then has been attempts to recapture that “impossible”… the “Impossible” dream of being part of a larger community, overflowing with libations and enthusiasm, having an epic ladies trip through Las Vegas.

Variations appeared – Intangible Battles; Write Hard and Write Often. Another blog may have also fallen through those cracks, but not without trying.

Ah, but there we go again. “Try”

Working with force or with the Force

Effort and ease are critical to balance with work and life.

I can scrape together words everyday for 12 years for whatever blog happens to work, and there would be nothing to measure on a resume. What I know about SEO, site maintenance, scheduling posts and adhering to deadlines are all self-taught. Discipline is balanced with being intrinsically motivated, deriving pleasure from finding the process get easier over the years. Effort is paired to sitting down and simply acting. Ease is the result of persistence.

I moved on from “Why bother?” to “I can try” to “I can do that.” Now to “I am doing that and I will do this next.” There is no question, no doubt or bias. There is a clear intention and an obvious trail of thought and planning. No need to interpret the words or dive into why or shoulds. It is just the path derived from circumstances and one’s dreams, built step by step till you are running.

When Luke runs back to see his ship lift out of the swamp, he turns to Yoda in awe. “I don’t believe it!” And with a tired sigh, Yoda composes himself from the task. “And that is why you fail.”

Effort without ease is doing work but every movement is painful, every thought questioned. Doubt is a nasty weed that infects your ability to grow and write. Leave that burden to the doubters and haters, they will question everything for you. Focus on your current project and leave yourself notes for other ideas or future posts. Leave hints on your next steps, so that when you have the energy again, you can pick up right where you left off.

Or lift off into your own epic journey to self-mastery.