Stephen King's Pencil Illusion
At a conference an aspiring writer asked Stephen King what kind of pencil he uses.
Just think about it. Stephen King.
The genius of beauty and nightmare.
Shawshank Redemption.
Stand by Me.
Green Mile.
And some fan thinks the secret is hiding in his stationery drawer.
That’s not just funny. That’s sad.
In Greece we say the tools make the craftsman. That’s true, when the tools are crap.
No pen makes a writer. No tool makes a craftsman. A sharp knife helps a cook. A hammer helps a carpenter. But a tool is a tool. Nothing more.
Past a point, obsessing over tools is just procrastination.
And procrastination is fear in disguise.
The Shiny Trap:
• Feel like an idiot
• Buy the shiny thing
• Cling to false hope
• Choke on basics
• Wait for miracles
• Hate yourself (again)
People want to believe success is hidden in a gadget, a brand, a system, or a shiny new thing they haven’t bought yet. Because if it’s about the tool, it’s not about them.
If it’s about the tool, they don’t have to face the truth.
The truth is it’s about you. Your sweat. Your reps. Your story.
Stephen King could write another masterpiece with a crayon on a diner napkin.
But the average doer? They are still shopping for the perfect notebook.
Busyness is the worst kind of laziness.