The Crazier the Better

My friend Paul is writing a cop novel. He’s never written anything so ambitious before; he’s in unknown territory, over his head. Even scarier for him, his story is coming out very dark.  “I mean twisted, weird-dark,” he says. “So dark it’s scaring me.”

Paul wants to know if he should throttle back. He’s worried that the book will come out so evil, not even Darth Vader will want to touch it.

Answer: no way.

The darker the better, if that’s how it’s coming to him.

Why? Because for artists and entrepreneurs—particularly those at the beginning of their careers—Job #1 is testing their limits, finding out who they are. The sane and the ordinary are the enemies of all artists, but especially of those just stretching their wings.

The post The Crazier the Better first appeared on Steven Pressfield.