Today I learned something pretty remarkable:
Coldplay (the world-famous band — if you don’t know them or haven’t listened to a single track of their music, then I don’t know what to diagnose you with) has never had any lineup changes or used touring musicians in almost 30 years.
It's literally been the same four chaps playing and touring together since the band’s inception.
Talk about dedication to craft and their fans!
Stories like this always have a habit of numbing the aches in my fingers so that they can dance across the keyboard and produce tales that will entertain my own fans for decades to come.
Because here’s the beautiful thing about stories:
They are timeless, even while the artist is not.
It’s why The Lord of the Rings continues to sell droves of books every year despite being published in 1954. It’s why movies like Interstellar, Gladiator, The Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, and [insert your favourite film] will forever have songs sung about them.
It’s also what keeps me motivated to deliver my best work even during phases I (and many authors) have come to loathe.
Like editing.
As a serial storyteller, I want to tell as many tales as I can — not revisit old ones.
However, the same way you wouldn’t turn up to an awards ceremony in an un-ironed shirt, manuscripts also need their creases flattened and tended to before their “big moment”.
Especially so when you consider books can be read for decades to come.
Best to always put your best foot forward not just for fans, but also for one’s legacy.
That’s the big lesson I drew from this Coldplay tidbit. Who knows, perhaps it might inspire some of the Legion’s boys and girls to go that extra mile in whatever they’re working on right now — be it a hobby, their job, or an annoying piece of furniture that your spouse has long been badgering you to erect.
It’s all art at the end of the day.
And we’re all artists.
Speaking of artists, bands, and more aptly, music, I’ve recently had my books turned into audiobooks thanks to the powers of virtual voice.
Namely, my gritty open-world fantasy series, The Divided Region.
If you’d like to take a listen for free, rock on over to the URL below and scroll down to the product description:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/divided-region-starter-bundle
DJJW