#RPGaDay2021 Day 18: Write

Write? Aren't we getting a little meta here? Just what about RPGs does this prompt relate to anyways? Well, I suppose the creation of RPGs involves writing, same as all of this blogging I'm doing for #RPGaDay2021. Sometimes people have a desire to write and they ask for pointers, how to do it well. I wouldn't call myself much of a writer but I have advice anyways, and it's advice you've probably already heard, and it applies to pretty much anything you want to do in your life.

Do it!

That thing you say you want to do? Just start doing it right now.

If you can read and made it through at least 4th grade or so, you already know how to write. You can start writing right now, and if you want to you should! Today's prompt comes 18 days into #RPGaDay2021. I'd set a goal to write a blog post for a prompt for every day of August. Before today, I'd fallen behind. I'd written and published a blog entry for each day for the first 13 days, then I fell off, nothing until the 17th. There was no missing technique, no tool or lesson I required to get this writing done. I just had to do it. Was all of my writing good? I'm thinking no. Is my writing going to get better because I stop writing to read about writing, or watch some YouTube tutorials about good writing? Also no. Did all this torrent of writing produce anything of value? Maybe a couple nuggets, definitely something more than not writing at all would've.

In any field of endeavor there are things you can learn that can make you better, or broaden your palette, give you ideas, techniques and all of this. You can learn about some typical ways people proceed in the endeavor of your interest, and in so much as that inspires you, it's good material. On the other hand, sometimes watching or reading instructional material or people going on about their process and all of the rest is a stalling tactic, or amounts to being a separate hobby from actually doing the thing you claim to want to do. In music, for example, I've seen people who've played guitar for a couple weeks just start writing songs, songs that entertained. I've seen people who've played for 20 years or more never write a song, though maybe they still dream of doing so, though maybe they understand obscure bits of music theory, or have vastly superior technique to the 2 week guitarist. Any learning from a third party is useful only when it is conjoined with you actively doing the thing. In today's prompt it is writing. You get better at writing by writing. You can possibly get better at writing through some guidance and lessons, but only if done in addition to writing, not instead of.

This advice is old hat. It's not the secret shortcut anyone wants to hear. There are so many places in my life where I've believed I've wanted something, some goal I wanted to achieve or skill I wish I had. I've got my health, a decent job, few responsibilities. I can't and shouldn't pretend fate, lack of talent or "I was too busy and didn't have the time" are the true reason I didn't achieve these goals. Why do we fail to do what we say we wish to? Fear is one possibility. Another is failing to be honest with yourself about your priorities. Self deception is so powerful, stories you spin about yourself, how you paper over the gaps between your internal story and the reality of your life. Sometimes people even take offense when their excuses are not taken with pity. I think we've all been to all of these places. It's a core human struggle. 

Hope you're able to find it in yourself to start doing your thing today. 

All the best.