Dear John

Dear John,

I wanted to write you and let you know how 2024 went. I know you’re still right at the beginning so I’ll be careful not to give away too many specifics. Got to be careful with spoilers, you know?

You’re at the very beginning of your journey, not just on Vocal but with creative writing in general. 2024 represents a new chapter in your life in terms of finally reconciling your passion for writing and your own mental health. I know the end of 2023 was difficult for you; remember, I lived it too, and time has not yet softened the intensity of that experience. But with it came a sense of rebirth, and with some effort you flourished this year.

Don’t forget the successes you’ve had already. You wrote a poem inspired by the struggles you’d been going through that received a Top Story award in December, and your first ever Villanelle placed runner-up in a challenge. Considering you didn’t know the structure of a Villanelle before this I’d say that’s a pretty big achievement.

Keep doing those challenges. Even if it feels at times like wading through mud, or you’re just staring at your screen wishing letters would materialise, just push through and I promise you good things will happen. If you don’t know what it’s asking you to do, or you feel like you’ll never be able to finish this one, just soldier on. I can’t tell you what will happen (there’s rules around this kind of thing), but keep pushing and you will reap the benefits. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so fight back against that whining voice that niggles at the back of your mind telling you it would be easier to go play a video game instead of sitting at your desk feeling like you’ll never write anything worth reading.

I know why you do this; it still hasn’t gone away. I’m sitting here now, writing this letter to you, and wondering why it’s so hard to write anything. Which is funny, because if you think about it, I’ve already read it. I should probably have tried to remember it. You’ve spent a long time giving in to the thought that if you can’t write something perfect on your first attempt, what’s really the point in trying? You use your own perceived failures as evidence that you lack any form of talent, and that repeatedly banging your head against a wall of your own inadequacy will leave you feeling worse than when you started. I can tell you now that this logical fallacy is utter BS. I’ve seen what you can do if you put your mind to it. You just need to take the long way round on this one, but you’ll get here eventually, and you’ll tell yourself the same thing with the same smug sense of self-satisfaction knowing that past-you was completely wrong.

Joining Vocal was a risk you took, pushing yourself outside of your anxiety-laden comfort zone, and it’s already paid off. After years of entertaining the notion that you could be a great writer if you set your mind to it, you’ve finally started down the path. Sure, it’s not easy, but nothing worth having ever was. Just enjoy the journey and take every opportunity you can to learn something new. You won’t like everything you write, and a lot of it might never be read by anyone, but that’s not the point. The point is, you created it, and that act has value regardless of the results.

I want you to know that, in spite of everything you’ve felt lately, you will develop a deep love of the process of writing this year. It won’t be easy, and you’ll need to schedule time in to make sure you don’t procrastinate like you’re so wont to do, but you’ll get there eventually, and believe me, it’s worth it. I’m sitting here now, in the same seat in which you’re reading this, and I can assure you that you will be glad you did. You’ll achieve so much this year and you’ll develop your skill set way beyond what you thought possible. Let’s both make a promise to each other to keep going, no matter how you feel or what’s running through your head. And remember, everything will work out fine in the end, because I’ll have already walked the path before you.

Yours sincerely,

John

P.S. - The Winds of Winter was great and definitely worth the wait.