“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

—Ernest Hemingway
American author and journalist

There is a perilous power to proclamations that one should be wary of. When the proclamation is quoted, it takes on an air of authenticity. The reader often accepts the quote as wisdom, without questioning it.

For example, look at the Hemingway quote above. When you read it, do you feel a certain gravitas? Certainly Hemingway knows what he is talking about, no? So you accept that the artist must bleed for his art.

In a little more than a dozen words, Papa has convinced you that writing is fucking hard.

He has a way with words. The rhythm of the syllables makes his words easy to accept. The quote packs a cerebral punch. While you are stunned by his words, they embed into your subconscious. You accept them as **Truth,** with a capital *T.*

My advice? Take all quotes with a grain, no, a whole salt shaker’s worth of salt. What might have been true for Hemingway isn’t necessarily true for you. Maybe Papa wanted to discourage competition. Who knows?At my keyboard, the only thing bleeding out of me is words. Maybe that is what he meant. If a quote is discouraging, try viewing it from a different perspective.

As an exercise, write your own, more supportive quotes: “I am a great writer.” or “Writing is enjoyable and easy to do!” Seriously, write those down on a piece of paper, sign it and post that paper on the wall behind your writing desk. When you are famous, you can frame that quote.

My point is that you shouldn’t let a quote convince you that writing is so draining. Find out for yourself.

Simply sit down and write.