"Your Honest Story"? Not Everyone Can Pull That Off

Barbe Stark ・ February 23, 2025

There’s a saying that floats around baseball fields:

For pitchers: “Throw the ball with a relaxed shoulder.”

For batters: “Hold the bat as lightly as you’d hold an egg.”

But as time passes and you think it over, you realize it’s just a comforting platitude. It’s a psychological mantra to overcome pressure, nothing more. Take it too literally, and reality hits hard—throw without power, and the ball’s got no juice; hold the bat like an egg, and it’ll fly out of your hands.

This advice only makes sense for athletes who’ve been grinding daily—squats, lunges, and running to build insane lower-body strength, or training their rotator cuffs and forearms relentlessly. Anyone who’s played even a little baseball knows the truth: you’ve got to squeeze out every ounce of strength just to make it work.

Writing’s no different.

There’s this “Sugar Boy of Writing,” a retired pro turned full-time writing evangelist, who’s gained fame with sweet, ear-pleasing phrases.

His advice? “Write your story honestly.”

LOL.

That’s something only seasoned writers—those who’ve read tons of books, mastered their craft, and can read their audience like a book—can pull off. It’s a shame so many naive folks buy into it.

ChatGPT explains good writing more accurately. Here’s the core of it:

• Read a ton of great writing,

• Write a ton yourself,

• Keep revising and practicing.

• 
  

A free truth-telling Chat-Writer beats a paid writing guru any day.

“Your honest story”? You think that advice actually works?

I’ve never watched it, but it reminds me of Black and White Chef.

You’ve got Korea’s top Michelin three-star chef, Ahn Sung-jae, whose restaurant shut down due to poor sales. Then there’s Paik Jong-won, the sugar-sprinkling uncle who’s become a titan of the food industry and restaurant startups. Same vibe, right?

Don’t forget: I’ve published more books across more countries, reached more readers, and earned more royalties than that writing guru. My words probably carry more weight.

If anyone thinks his advice holds up because of blog size, let me know. I’ll crush his subscriber count and views in a month.

Why do people hate writing? It’s one of two things:

• No one’s reading it, or

• It doesn’t make money.

  
  

Honest or not, if those two aren’t solved, it’s all pointless.