Great writing is passion. Plain and simple. Passion is what makes your words leap off the page and engage the reader. The technical skills have got to be there, never think you can write like a dimwit and be great, but technicality is second to passion and fire.
Make your words art. Make your words flow like poetry. You can quote great writers and their quotes stand alone as beautiful pieces of art. Put as much detail into the little pieces as you put into the whole.
Sometimes a piece of art will have a beautiful title but the body of words will fail. Sometimes a work of art will have a dreadful title but the body of words will be great. Sometimes the two will be put together and a work of art will emerge.
When you have a great title, a great body of words, and quotable works of art then you have a masterpiece.
To become a writer you must first read. You must know how words are put together on a page to make a story. You must know how words can create emotion in your reader. You must understand that art is about more than words on a paper, it is about style and arrangement and beauty.
If you are not a reader but you call yourself a writer you are a fibber, a faker. A writer appreciates the beauty of the written and spoken word and aims to create some of that magic in his own voice.
Artists who say they do not follow their particular art (whether it be words, film, music or other) are fibbers. They spent years and years obsessively following their art and finally got to a point where they had a voice, at which point they could stop obsessing over other people's art and start obsessing over their own art.
If you are to be a writer it is already in you, lurking somewhere. It has been on your thoughts. You can see a string of few words and appreciate the subtle beauty of the arrangement. You are not a defiler of your language. You are an appreciator. You are a sponge.
You keep these words buried in your mind and you let them out at the right time. Each word you put to paper is analyzed and analyzed until you have the best arrangement of words those sentences could possibly ever have.
If you must be told of the rules of grammar, diction and punctuation then you are not a writer and you will never be a writer. If you must be told to not write long-winded run-on paragraphs you are not a writer. If you must be told to use capitalization and punctuation you are not a writer.
“I want to be a writer”.
If you say these words you are probably a liar. Writing is free. A man who wants to be a writer sits down and writes. A liar pretends that they “want to write, when I have the time”. The time is always there for the true.
If you are a writer you have a voice. Your voice is your particular style and diction. Your voice is pulled from here, there and everywhere until you have a style you can call your own. When you have this style, when you put words to paper, when people read your words and cry or laugh or scream or excite then you are a writer. You are an artist. You are a creator of beauty.
I was impressed with Henry Rollins ability to lift you up or tear you down with his words and writing. Similar to Hemmingway his writing is. So i wanted to see who inspired Rollins.
He highly talks about writers like Henry Miller & recommended in some of his spoken words: F.Scott Fitzgerald TENDER IS THE NIGHT.
And Thomas Wolfe : LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL
& the sequel : OF TIME & THE RIVER
I’ve read half of them each & Masterpieces, Genious work, Wonderful books written in the 1930s.
Arena,
I’ll have to check those out.
Rollins was asked once if your home was burning down & you could get 1 thing only what would it be?
He answered the book “BLACK SPRING” by Henry Miller.
I’ve read this a few times. His books were banned in the United States for their lewd content until 1964 when a court ruling overturned this order, so he must have been doing something right. This book blew me away.
I believe that what you’ve written in this website is entirely truthful, and the way you put it down into words was so perfect, so encouraging, and so different. I enjoyed reading your article very much.
Excellent, as usual. The best writers, or the most beautiful, aren’t necessarily the most popular. Or even known. And not all of them write prose.
ty. Love the blog, by the way! Conservative piece was poetry.
What’s happening, Victor!!
I just to thank you, for doing what you do.
It’s very refresh to visit your site and read, all of you informative articles.
I purchased, your book ” body of a spartan”, and it’s been a great help.
Thank you!!!
What’s up man? Very glad you liked BOAS.
I really like this post.
“If you are a writer you have a voice. Your voice is your particular style and diction. Your voice is pulled from here, there and everywhere until you have a style you can call your own. When you have this style, when you put words to paper, when people read your words and cry or laugh or scream or excite then you are a writer”
-> Very well put.
Great picture by the way.
This blog is the most useful place in the internet. I’m a writer, and I certainly don’t think that writers must be a bunch of hedonist, bohemians, limp-wristed, drug-addicts, faggots, or whatever it comes when it’s about culture (Literature, poetry, even music).
It’s ok if someone wants to be a writer. But is a must to be first a man. Lift weights, gain money, fuck hot girls, having 2 or 3 girlfriends, living free, travel often, and be proud of yourself.
Every writer in the whole world should think about this.
How I am going to write a real book, if I am a faggot and weak complainer?
How I am going to write a real book, if I am scared of life?
It’s a must to be a man first. Then, you can write, and show the world how are the real writers.
Rollins is an embarrassment. Did you see what he said about “:32 things”? He is actually kissing ass for Jezebel.com. This is the power of Hollyweird. Even a icon like Henry Rollins can lose his soul there. Pathetic
Rummaging through old gems of yours Victor.
They say that your own true voice isnt heard till you’ve put at least a million words on paper. Do you reckon this rings any truth?
Very inspiration. I’ve taken a lot away from his post and will strive to write masterpieces from now on. Great post VP
Hey Adam
Checked out your blog, its sad.
B&D for me is one of the few honest and masculine websites I can go to actually get value. As a young guy (21) having men like Victor sharing their wisdom is priceless, if you want to contribute that is great ,just be real.
Many men my age and younger search the internet for answers and websites like yours where words like “Alpha” are thrown around without any real experience don´t help the problem. In the words of Victor this is a WEBSITE FOR WINNERS, not for con-artists. Do the work
I love this website Victor. You have such a great style of writing and are such a straight, honest shooter. I’ve only been reading for about 30 mins and I already feel like I’m taking on a different perspective of things. I’m 25 years old and really don’t have much to show(yet). I ‘ve been stuck in college for the last 3 years working on my degree, but started having second thoughts as to if that’s really what I want. I know/knew that a degree isn’t the way to freedom and lots of money, which become more appearant to me a few months ago. I’ve always desired to be something big, but at the same time I don’t do much because I want to do it all and can’t ever seem to narrow it down and focus in on things. For whatever reason, I’m very inconfident, sometimes I believe it’s because of my desire for big things, which I haven’t obtained yet, but not sure. I used to be obese and became extremely educated on diet, training, etc. i actually follow a ckd and can get to 6% bf when I please, so it’s certainly not pysical image. I am 25 and I’ve yet to even have a girl of any kind, due to not being a social person at all and the confidence, in which I can’t even seem to pinpoint the reason for. Maybe it’s the fact I was fat for so long and the feeling of not being satified with my current status. I just took a contract job in order to save for a year and hopefully become a singer and open gym/ supplement shop, along with starting a website. I have a gift for singing and decided to start recording some of my own music, sending it to record companies, and putting it on youtube. I really have never had much/if any in the form of female connections, relations, of any kind. It really gets to me at times and feel like it’s a big missing peice in my life. I understand it must me, although; I don’t completely understand why. I’m in great shape and have even practiced a thing that betters a something else on the male body. It has given me great results and should boost my condfidence in this area. Anyways, just thought I’d let you know your site is great and it’s giving me a different perspective on things for the better. I’ve always been one to think for myself, but this site is helping me take things to a better level. I just really need to try and focus on certain things at a time, instead of always thinking about everything I want to do.
This was post was a piece of beauty in itself. Way to practice what you preach.
Great article. I just stumbled on to it.
This might easily be the best piece on your entire site.
The fact that you’ve put this much emphasis and time into perfecting your craft, speaks volumes.
Cheers, Vic.
Thanks ?