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Marcus Aurelius Meditations on Writing

At first blush, writing stories hasn’t got a lot in common with running the Roman Empire. But hear me out.

If any of the Roman Emperors out there reading this see themselves in the above list, I have some news for you: you have a lot in common with writers.

See, the thing is, I’m greedy. I’ll look for good advice anywhere.

And the way I see it, as a mentally challenging job whose demands are legion, writing can learn from ruling the Roman Empire.

Here are some writing lessons I gleaned from reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. After a couple sentences of background…

Marcus Aurelius and Meditations

Marcus ruled the Roman Empire at the height of its spread. You may remember him as Richard Harris in Gladiator. Marcus was considered one of the “good” emperors—graded on a curve, of course. He also practiced stoicism—a school of Roman philosophy that teaches emotional discipline and practical fatalism. A stoic might be heard saying stuff like, “I’m master of my feelings—my feelings don’t master me,” and “we may die tomorrow, so we must live fully today.” Meditations is the name we have given to Marcus’ personal notebooks. He wrote Meditations to help himself work out how to live a Stoic life.

For my purposes, I find a lot of meaningful lessons that apply to a writer’s life too. Lessons for discipline, self-awareness, honesty, and gentle strength.

Here’s some of what I found.

You’re Never Not a Writer

“In the management of your principles, take example by the pugilist, not the swordsman. One puts down his blade and has to pick it up again; the other is never without his hand, and so needs only to clench it,”--Marcus Aurelius

Being a writer is a lifestyle choice. There are definite Writing Activities—big W, big A—like typing and marking manuscripts and reading for research. If you ever meet a writer who believes activities like that are the start and end of “writing,” take pictures, because that sounds like a rare animal.

The work that goes into writing never turns off. It alternates between exhausting and empowering.

Exhausting because, what are breaks? If either you’re absorbing how the world is for a scene for research, or you’re pondering a story all the time, then what are breaks? Breaks are more research.

That’s also empowering, though. You are always at work.

Marcus would tell us, embrace that. Embrace that your state of being is also your work. Live it and celebrate it. You are never without your words—you need only give them voice.

You Speak for the Universe

“Firstly, avoid all actions that are haphazard or purposeless; and secondly, let every action aim solely at the common good,”--Marcus Aurelius

The software of human behavior is stories. Hence, as storytellers, we have a lot of power. And perhaps a lot more than we admit to ourselves.

Those of us driven to the madness that is storytelling, we can’t always give good reason why we’re compelled to do it. We just know that we do.

We then become focus points where reality refines into meaning. We absorb the raw chaos of life, and from that raw material we refine purpose. It’s the function of stories to provide sense to the nonsense of being.

Marcus would advise us to recognize our part in that process. Never flail around without meaning, but instead create with intent. And when he says “common good,” sometimes you will know what is good for the commons better than they do. Prepare to be disliked for it.

Create Opportunities

“It may be that the things you fret and fume to pursue or avoid do not come to you, but rather you go to them,”--Marcus Aurelius

It is important, in the life of a writer, to seek peace with powers larger than yourself. Forces like audience, cultural movements, and the mysterious world of publishing—these are weather in the life of a writer. They are storms and typhoons and beyond our control.

But they must also be reckoned with.

Marcus would, therefore, advise us to use our energy well. We can either gripe and moan, or fear and cringe, in the face of the forces of publishing.

Or we can prepare ourselves, build our body of work, and we can chase opportunities.

That’s what Marcus would say.

“Because a thing is difficult for you, do not therefore suppose it to be beyond mortal power,”--Marcus Aurelius

Keep Your Stories Focused

“Never confuse yourself by visions of an entire lifetime at once,”--Marcus Aurelius

A thought for actually writing your stories: focus. Focus is clarity. Marcus would advise us to examine what we want to tell stories about and be as careful as possible about overwhelming ourselves with background.

You’ll Never Please Everyone—So Don’t Try

“You should banish any thoughts of how you may appear to others, and rest content if you can make the remainder of your life what nature would have it to be,”--Marcus Aurelius

Marcus would remind us that it’s impossible to know what anybody else thinks of you. Even if they like you, there’s no way for you to know why. You might think you’re so witty and funny, but your friends might like you because you’re forgiving.

You don’t know why people like or dislike you. More than that, you have no control over it either.

Marcus would advise that, in light of this, don’t try to please people. Do not try to be liked—don’t try to avoid dislike.

Act with integrity. That’s all you can control. Let other people sort themselves out.

Definitely useful for writers to think about. Your stories will attract some people and piss off others, and you can’t control or understand their reasons. So just write your best story.

“To refrain from imitation is the best revenge,”--Marcus Aurelius

Quiet Honor

“Dig within. There lies the well-being of good: ever dig, and it will ever flow,”--Marcus Aurelius

Meditations is quite a short book. It’s a quiet exhortation to work hard, accept what comes, and work on the best version of yourself. It isn’t the end-all of books about self-awareness, but it’s not a bad one to visit with.

For us storytellers, if we truly want to take our work seriously, there’s a lot of value in the self-exploration of someone whose journey has parallels to our own.

“To refrain from imitation is the best revenge,”--Marcus Aurelius