It's All Right to Dream

But It Takes Real Guts to Realize When It's Time to End the Sadness


A fist sifting sand in an open palm below, with the text "I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles." The text "so that later I can build castles" is crossed out and replaced with handwritten red lettering that reads "for kitty litter."

Many writers believe that writing is just a matter of putting words on a page—the more words, the greater the chance of success. But words are simply raw materials, as writing must first and foremost communicate ideas to others. A haphazard string of poorly structured sentences communicates little, and when done poorly but with the right amount of righteous fervor, what is communicated is often contrary to the writer's intent. 

So don't go around throwing words into the air like fistfuls of sand, hoping they will land in all the write places to make a castle for you. Unless you're Harry Potter, of course. Then do whatever the hell you want.  

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