This weekend I saw the best movie of the year: Blinded by the Light. No, I am not just saying that because I am a huge Bruce super fan (but it doesn’t hurt). I haven’t seen a movie that was this beautiful, funny, exuberant, or moving in a long time.

As you know, I love finding writing lessons in my favorite films and shows, and this one was super easy because the protagonist, Javed, is a writer!

What are the two major lessons?

1) Everyone thinks they are terrible.

Javed thinks he is pretty much the worst writer of all time. He believes his work is so terrible that he nearly throws it away. (Fun fact: both Tolkien and Virgil nearly threw their works into the fire.) But it turns out he is really, really good. 

So if you think your writing is terrible, just know that you are not alone. Imposter syndrome is normal. Just because you doubt your abilities, it doesn’t mean you aren’t amazing.

This leads us to the next lesson:

2) It is crucial to have people read your work and discuss it with you.

Javed finally gains confidence in his writing because he shares it with his English teacher. At first, she pushes him to be more honest and true to his voice (constructive feedback is always a good idea), but she eventually tells him he is amazing and submits his work to a contest.

By showing his writing to someone else, he is able to not only realize that he is talented, but he is able to improve upon his natural gifts.