BE AWESOME - NINJA STYLE

That image, just to the left, says ninja in Kanji script ... at least, I hope it does. No one has actually interpreted it for me, I just got it off the internet. 
So it could say anything.

It could be an ancient insult, something like, "Your breath smells like a goat's rear end." Yeah, I know, they were pretty polite with their insults back in the day. Still, if that's what that symbol actually says, it's not true. Your breath actually smells like vanilla flowers infused with coconut and berries.
So then. To today's topic; Being awesome! As usual, I wil base this on ninjas, but also on Steve Martin, who is an awesome comedian and movie star. I actually was just watching him in The Pink Panther. So funny.
He said, "Be so good they can't ignore you."
I think this is really important. As a writer, pretty much all I hear these days is build a following, get on social media, do this marketing, do that marketing, join this group, you must have Instagram ... all this is really important. If no one knows about your book, what's the point?
But is it the most important point?
I'm not so sure. When I was starting out as an author, I sent a letter to Andy Griffiths, who was and is my writing hero. I asked him things like how did he get to where he is today, things like that. He gave an amazing response, a really detailed email discussing a number of things, which I still have and which I re-read every now and again, but in the end what it boiled down to was this.
Work on your craft and make your writing as good as it can possibly be.
Which means, be so good they can't ignore you.
This isn't just for writing either. It's for whatever you love doing. This is totally what ninjas do. They work on their craft and they hone their skills until they seem other-worldly. And trust me, a ninja at the top of their game is pretty hard to ignore ... it's not easy to ignore a ninja star thrown from 32 metres away that goes straight up its intended target ... your left nostril!
So don't forget this. All the platforms and marketing and talking about your stuff doesn't matter if your stuff isn't good enough. And, in the end, that stuff - whether it's writing or dancing or footy or art or whatever - that's your passion, that's what you want to be doing, so why not do it as well as you possibly can? That way, even if you don't become superstar world-famous, you still get the satisfaction of creating something amazing, something you can truly be proud of.
And if you do, chances are someone will notice.
Okay, that's it for today. I'm off to go practice my ninja star throwing ... I mean, practice my, ummmm, spelunking!
Have an awesome week! BYE!