Why Bukowski Thinks That You Are Just a Lucky Writer
Tags: Philosophy, Philosophy Of Mind, Writing, Poetry, Writing Tips

Why You Are Lucky

In a poem titled the difference between a bad poet and a good one is luck, Bukowski talks about the struggles of his persona as a writer and a poet. From the title, we may think that maybe it was a story about him constantly pitching to publications and failing, but that isn’t it.

It starts with him talking about his hardships when trying to make ends meet.

I suppose so. I was living in an attic in Philadelphia It became very hot in the summer and so I stayed in the bars. I didn’t have any money and so with what was almost left I put a small ad in the paper and said I was a writer looking for work . . .

He knows his situation is sad, and his constant indulgence in alcohol is blinding to him. It further puts him into debt. But the man insists that work isn’t his motivation:

which was a god damned lie; I was a writer looking for a little time and a little food and some attic rent.

As writers, this is the reality for some of us. Some have the freedom to write as a hobby or side hustle and earn while others do it as a way to make ends meet. But when we finally think things are going wrong for our guy, they turn out well, and someone responds to the ad he put out.

Immediately after that response, as he is pondering on how to write the book, he realizes that the one who came to hire him won’t be coming back. That isn’t the oddest part of the story because he takes us on a wild roller coaster ride of what his world has turned into.

Luck Is Not Your Mistress

In what seems like a mad frenzy phasing between reality and fantasy, the persona in the poem goes from his apartment to being jailed.

The economic hardship pushed him to go west, and he gets caught up in a corrupt system he took no part in. He gets interrogated over murders and things that do not concern him just so the state government can look effective.

and then they found me and put me in a cell and they asked me about murders and robberies

Our persona had a single problem that amplified itself due to little choices that the guy made.

In the same light, the amplification of your fate could also get propagated in a positive direction. Think of this as a domino effect when you stumble upon your first gig or client. There is always the possibility of those clients linking you up with their friends, and you make more cash.

It is also quite possible that you will fail and they’ll have to give you a bad review and no one will ever work with you again. We have to understand that it is always a game of chance.

Swaying Luck to Your Side

If you are just a writer, then maybe you can become the lucky writer that Bukowski mentions. There are multiple ways in which you can streamline the processes that allow you to gain favour in the eyes of the gods.

Learn how to write. If you learn from the best and only the best, then your probability of getting a positive domino effect is higher. Take courses and even read books on writing. Ask yourself how your favourite authors got so good that they gained a spotlight on the stage of the greats.

Then learn how to monetize your writing. Leaving nothing to chance fortifies your stance and edifies your glory. In this way can you be a knight in shining armour ready to brutalize luck to your own will: