Rejecting Authority: The Key to Staying True to Yourself

When you obey authority, you're often forced to play by someone else's rules. 

Rules that were designed to control, conform, and keep you in line. But what happens when you do that? 

You lose yourself.

And if you're here, reading this, it's likely because you already feel like part of you is slipping away. You've followed the "right" path - listened to advice, stayed in your lane - and now your story, your uniqueness, is buried beneath the noise of what everyone else thinks you should be.

But here's the thing: rejecting authority might be the only way to stay true to yourself, especially when writing your book.

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Conformity Equals Mediocrity

Conforming is easy. 

It's safe. 

It feels like a warm blanket you wrap yourself in when the world starts shouting at you to fall in line. But here's the problem - when you conform, you blend in. You become one of the many.

The mistake most writers make is thinking that sticking to the rules makes their writing better. It doesn't. It makes it boring.

If you're writing a memoir or a non-fiction book, you can't afford to sound like everyone else. What makes your story stand out is your voice, and if you smother that voice to fit someone else's standard, your story becomes forgettable.

People don't pick up books to read the same things they've heard a hundred times before. They want fresh, real, raw experiences. Conformity doesn't allow that. It pushes you into a box you don't belong in, and your story becomes diluted, another drop in the ocean of mediocre content.

So, if you've been playing by the rules so far, here's my advice: stop.

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Authority Doesn't Have Your Vision

Here's what happens when you listen to so-called "experts": you start to doubt your own instincts. 

And why wouldn't you? They're the ones with the accolades, the titles, the published books. But here's the secret - they don't know your story. They can't.

Most people, when starting to write their book, believe they need to follow a blueprint. They look for advice and structure from those who've done it before. But this is where it goes wrong - those experts are giving you advice based on theirexperiences, their visions.

Your book is about your life, your lessons, your journey. If you want to write something that matters, something that sticks with readers long after they've turned the last page, you need to trust your gut. Ignore the noise. The only person who can tell your story is you.

When you let authority dictate how your story should unfold, you lose the magic that makes it yours. Stick to what you know, what you feel. That's what will make your book resonate.

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Rebellion Leads to Authenticity

True rebellion isn't about breaking the rules for the sake of it. 

It's about protecting your truth.

Think about the rebels in history, in art, in literature. They didn't go against the grain just to be contrarian. They did it because they knew the system wasn't designed for them. They refused to let society dilute their essence.

Writing is the same. If you try to fit your story into a neat little box that pleases everyone, you're selling yourself short. You're losing the raw, unfiltered version of your truth.

The key to authentic writing is embracing the rebellion. When you tell your story the way it needs to be told - not the way someone else tells you it should be told - that's when you create something real. Something that hits home. Something that readers remember.

Your uniqueness is your superpower. Don't let anyone tell you to tone it down.

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Actionable Steps to Start Writing Authentically

So, how do you actually apply this? 

How do you start writing authentically and stop letting authority influence your work?

Here's what you do:

Start by writing for yourself. Forget about the reader, the publisher, or the critics. Just write. Write the way you talk, think, and feel. Let your personality come through in every word.

Next, embrace the messiness. Your first draft doesn't have to be perfect. It shouldn't be. It's about getting your raw thoughts onto paper. You can refine it later, but don't stifle your voice in the name of "perfection."

And finally, don't be afraid to throw out the rulebook. Forget what you've been told about structure, grammar, or how a story "should" be told. If it doesn't feel right, it's not right. Trust your gut, even if it feels uncomfortable.

Here's what to do next: sit down, block out the world, and let your truth spill out. That's the only way to write something real.

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The Danger of Playing It Safe

The truth is, playing it safe isn't safe at all. It's the riskiest move you can make.

When you play by the rules, when you listen to authority, when you conform - you blend in. You lose the very thing that makes you, you. And in a sea of sameness, blending in means being forgotten.

Your story matters, but only if you tell it the way it's meant to be told. If you water it down, it loses its impact.

Writing a book is one of the boldest moves you can make. It's putting yourself out there, raw and exposed. Don't dull the edges just because someone told you it's "better" that way. It's not.

Here's the blunt truth: no one remembers the safe stories. They remember the bold ones, the risky ones, the ones that didn't fit the mold.

What's Next?

So, where do you go from here? How do you make sure you stay true to yourself while writing your book?

It's simple: question everything. Every time you feel the urge to follow the rules, ask yourself why. Does this advice align with your story, or are you just following it because it's what you've been told to do?

Here's what to do next: stop second-guessing yourself. Write with the confidence that you know your story better than anyone else. Write with the boldness that comes from trusting yourself.

When you reject authority and embrace your unique voice, your writing takes on a life of its own. It becomes real, authentic, and impossible to ignore.

But what happens when you've embraced rebellion and still feel stuck?

That's the part we'll dive into next.

If you're ready to take the next step in owning your story and writing with confidence, sign up for The Outlaw Writer newsletter. There's more where this came from, and I'm just getting started.