Author Charles Yu on Writing

Another brief item where I write about writing 

Here is a good, quick article on writing. In the second-to-last section, Charles Yu tells a story about the best writing advice he has been given. It involves him overhearing his wife, Michelle telling their kids to stop making so much noise because in the next room, "Daddy is working on his book." And they did quiet down.

He takes the lesson to be that he is lucky to be a writer and he had better stop being a "dum-dum" and finish his book so he can get out of his room and spend time with his family, who clearly love him so much.

I think, in that moment, he saw himself in their eyes. He is a writer. What he is doing is important. It's a big deal and he's good at it. The world -- or at least his publisher -- wants to hear his story. So, he concludes, stop seeing yourself as a dum-dum and step into other people's estimation; see yourself as they see you.