The Advantages of Suffering

There are some writers who go to the best schools, come from the richest families, learn from the most renowned teachers and step into the limelight with a swagger. Their writing may be deep, insightful and widely published, but, unless they have experienced one vital part of life, their works are just pleasantly written passages.

That part of life is suffering.

Too often writers believe that their writing isn’t good enough because they haven’t attended the most expensive schools, they don’t come from families filled with literary luminaries, or learned at the feet of the most famous authors.

They don’t understand the advantages of suffering.

Real struggle, deep pain, true tragedy teach principles of wisdom. Without such wisdom writing is vain and superficial. With such wisdom writing grows from grace to grace, opening the hearts of readers to new understandings that change them, forever.

This doesn’t mean that budding writers should leap out into the world and do bad things so they can suffer. Most of us suffer enough, just by living. But, each writer should look back at every event that caused them pain, spend time empathizing with family members and friends about their struggles, seek to learn what suffering has to teach.

This kind of insight moves writing beyond superficialities of style. It grows into a wellspring of wisdom that can infuse our work with depth.

Remember the value of suffering. Always see it as an advantage, not a burden. Thus, your writing can become powerful and poignant, while suffering, in all its pain and anguish, can grow into a mighty teacher that transforms mediocre writing into great art.