So What If Everyone Is Doing It?
A short letter on why you shouldn't give up on your idea just because other people are doing it or something similar exists.
Last week, I read this book called ‘The Friend’ by Sigrid Nunez. The front cover has a dog on it — deceptively convincing anyone who picks it from the shelf of a bookstore that it’s solely about ‘man’s best friend’. But it’s a book about many things: it’s a book of love, friendship, grief, healing, and the magical bond between a woman and her dog.
Beyond this, it is a “writer’s novel” - which means it’s the kind of novel a writer would love, in spite of all the shade thrown at writers and at the literary community. It’s a novel that gives a lot of writing and storytelling advice (though not in a preachy or authoritative way).
“But remember, there is at least one book in you that cannot be written by anyone else but you. My advice is dig deep and find it.”
Of all the wise things Nunez says, I find the advice above quite compelling because it applies to a lot of other things outside of writing. You have an idea to start a business, but you don’t because there are other similar existing businesses. It’s really just a lame excuse - if we’re being honest. And I’ve been there: stalling on projects because someone else is already doing it — or even questioning the existence of my weekly letters to you because you probably are consuming a lot of other content, anyway.
The fact that it exists probably gives you more incentive to do it: what else can you bring to the table? How will your product differ from every other product? What untapped audience can your product or book cater to? And anyway, haven’t you heard: ‘nothing is truly original’, ‘everything is remix’, etc.
Speaking of unoriginal ideas: if you’re a writer, would you be interested in reading advice on submitting to literary mags, media publications and book publishers? Tips on how to make money, pitch, find a literary agent, or kickstart a career as a writer? It’s something I’ve been thinking about because I’m constantly getting mailed/DM’ed on the ‘how-tos’. It’s extra work, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about i.e ways to give back.
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks, but aren’t we just in interesting times? I didn’t write to you last Thursday because I had another severe case of ‘going through it’. I’m taking a leave in a few weeks, and though I don’t know if that would solve much, it would definitely give me a chance to inhale and exhale. Aside: if you asked me last year, I would’ve told you that my first leave in 2020 would be spent in SA or some far off island. And that my birthday — in less than 3 weeks — would be an 80s/90s themed party at a beach house. I had it all planned out.
On a more personal note, I’ve made some headway with my novel; that’s one thing that makes me happy. The fact that I’m even writing to you about it is enough evidence of this happiness. Then there’s reading good books. Right now, I’m reading ‘Sing, Unburied, Sing’ by Jesmyn Ward.
I also got a fun/dark story published recently; it’s about a girl who one day says she doesn’t want to go to school anymore for very mysterious reasons. Read here and tell me what you think!
What’s making you happy these days?