What does a japanese sword saint know about writing?

Apparently, a lot.

Miyamoto Musashi was one of the greatest swordsmen to ever live, remaining undefeated in 61 duels throughout his lifetime. His skill was unlike any other in history, quickly surpassing kengo (sword mastery) into an entire other category of kensei, implying a warrior of such legendary skill that they were considered to have perfected the art.

In his late 50s, he retreated into the mountain cave Reigandō, and contemplated his life’s work in a series of writings. In the week before he died, he gathered his friends and family around him and gave away his possessions. To his favourite disciple Terao Magonojō, he gave The Book of the Five Rings (a book on martial arts strategy and a warrior’s way of life) and the Dokkodō.

The Dokkodō translates as “The Way of Walking Alone” or “The Path of Aloneness”. It uses 21 honest and ascetic principles to impart the larger life lessons of Musashi.

Miyamoto Musashi was famed for being a quintessential warrior-poet throughout his life, often creating masterpieces of calligraphy and ink painting. Even after his death, his written lessons on strategy became a staple.

But how could a fiction writer use a master swordsman’s life lessons to improve their own work?

Like this:

1.) Do not oppose the Ways of the world

Sometimes, it is what it is.

Don’t get anxious when your submission takes a few more days than average. Similarly, don’t get mad at yourself if you didn’t write nearly as much as yesterday. Accept the way it currently is.

Some things are going to be out of your control, and no amount of worrying will change them.

2.) Do not seek pleasure for its own sake

In the original text, this tenet warns against hedonism or throwing yourself into pleasure so much that it damages other parts of your life.

Maybe skip the YouTube and Netflix for a day while you’re writing. Don’t get pulled into the TikTok vortex; put your phone in the other room.

Don’t get caught up in the aesthetics of writing so much that it detracts from the actual writing you need to do. Coffee shops, lattes, libraries, booktoks, plants, the perfect playlist; all of it is fantastic, but your perfectionism might be actually hurting your ability to write.

Take the wisdom of Roald Dahl who wrote most of his work in a shed, or the myriad of writers who would book a blank hotel room or move a chair into the closet to be alone with their writing. More specifically, to have a profound absence of everything else.

Moderation is key.

3.) Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling

If your gut instinct is off about a publishing deal, a literary agent, or even another author, take a closer look — or leave immediately.

So much of writing and publishing is deeply emotional that writers unknowingly develop incredible instincts. Think about it: if it feels like there’s always BookTok/BookTwit/publishing drama, it’s because bad vibes barely get to the surface before everyone is warning each other. Sketchy dealings that could survive in any other industry (see: HarperCollins Union) struggle to breathe here.

When it comes to your own WIP, get someone to look over the parts you feel iffy about. I personally like getting other writers to help me: they’ll know exactly how to story tell it better. It helps prevent the “I could’ve wrote it so much better! Why did I do that?” feelings when your work is published in an anthology or sitting on a shelf.

If your gut feeling is telling you something different than your brain, trust it. Use the technique of a full-body yes before accepting something.

4.) Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world

Quit being so hard on yourself.

Instead of being critical of yourself or your work, channel that same scrutiny into looking through a different perspective and seeing your current position. What new things can you draw inspiration from? Where could you get your next writerly growth spurt from?

Be present in your own body and realize that no one is out to get you.

5.) Be detached from desire your whole life long

Don’t let your dreams and your goals ruin writing for you.

Many writers don’t get famous or even get to make a career out of writing until they have a significant foundation of books under them. If you get caught up in how many copies you sold, whether you made the NYT list or not, or even what your publisher thinks of you, you won’t be able to focus on the quality of your next story.

Being a career author is an incredible thing, but whether it was published or not, you wrote a whole ass book. Being an award winner is awesome, but whether you were nominated or not, your story became someone’s favourite.

You get the idea.

6.) Do not regret your past deeds

Everybody cringes at their early writing.

You might also get laid out on the floor at a missed opportunity.

No matter what, stay in the understanding that you needed to go through that to get where you are, and that things don’t happen to you, they happen for you. You might end up framing that first horrific short story above your desk, laughing all the way through a publishing bidding war for your latest bestseller.

7.) Never be jealous of others, good or bad

Leigh Bardugo got an 8 figure book deal to write whatever she wants. It’s a writer’s dream deal. Just because it hasn’t happened to you yet doesn’t mean it’s not possible for you.

In fact, the fact that it happened just means that things like that can be real.

But that means writing your own stories and focusing on your own books instead of stalking her Instagram and overthinking your own success.

8.) Never let yourself be saddened by a separation

Honestly, this one hit me a bit more personally.

Stop writing the story when the story has been told. At a certain point, it can’t get any better and you’re just adding fluff. It’s going to need to enter the world and attempt to float on it’s own, and whether sink or swim, you need to accept both possibilities.

Similarly, the idea of selling copyright and having a story only published in one place feels too final and solitary. It’s like I’m sending my characters to their final resting place, regardless of how good the deal is or how far the story might go.

But that’s how writing is meant to be. It’s meant to be shared. It was never yours to begin with; you were cultivating it until it was perfect to give to someone else who would love the story just as much as you.

9.) Hold no grudges against yourself or others

See again: NO GRUDGES AGAINST YOURSELF.

You write as well as you write. You might bang out 4000 words in a sitting and delete all 4000 of them tomorrow. Don’t develop anger at small progress, you don’t deserve it.

Don’t hold a grudge against something that you did as a baby writer as well: everyone had horrible dialogue and speedy love subplots at some point. You are doing the best you can with what you have.

When it comes to grudges against others? Bad publishing experiences are more common than ever. They will come their way too.

10.) Steer clear of the path to attachment

When you’re writing, don’t treat it like a masterwork.

Becoming a perfectionist is the worst thing you can do for your story because it kills it before it even leaves the page. Instead, treat it like you’re finding the perfect spice mix for a recipe: swap things around, add more, cross others out completely, and so on. Some ideas can be used better in a different book. Some characters don’t actually need to be there at all. Don’t be afraid to put something in your back pocket for later.

11.) In all things, do not have any preferences.

Experiment with different genres!

Dabbling in everything makes your writing unpredictable. Your writing style will still carry it’s own voice, but gathering elements from everywhere makes your reader genuinely question just what you’ll do next.

And that’s exactly what you need.

Avoid the common tropes and spin the story on it’s head once in a while.

12.) Have no luxury in your house

Whether you’re buying a desk ornament or following someone on twitter, ask yourself:

“Will this actually help me write?”

I’ve been guilty of justifying purchases for productivity or inspiration just for it to find itself in a junk drawer not even a week later.

The less distractions you have, the more you have room for imagination.

13.) Pursue no delicacies for yourself

You know how authors will dedicate the book to someone and have a 10 page long acknowledgements at the back?

Do that more.

There are more people than you think who are rooting for you to do this thing. When you finally do it, share the excitement and the victory with everyone who supported you along the way. They’re happy just to be there.

14.) Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need

Get a new keyboard.

Get new pens, better notebooks, sleeker bags.

You don’t need it to write, but having high quality materials is a significantly noticeable difference.

Get rid of the stuff you told yourself is ‘just for now’. Ditch all the stuff sitting on a shelf you don’t need anymore.

If you’re never going to reread that book, give it to someone else. If you haven’t needed it in 2 years, you won’t need it in 10.

Spring cleaning applies to your desk and library too!

15.) Have trust in yourself and avoid superstitious beliefs

You have everything that you need with you. If something goes wrong, it’s usually within your control to fix. No amount of candle-lit mutterings or begging at the moon will make an editor like your book more.

16.) Do not concern yourself with superfluous trappings, only the tools of your trade

The things you know are techniques, the things you do are skills, and the things you use are tools.

Do the things you know benefit your writing?

Do the things you do are genuinely helping you write a better story/get published/whatever your goal is?

Do the things you use bring you joy and efficiency in your craft?

Anything else is heavy baggage.

17.) Do not shun death in the Way

Musashi put put his life on the line every time he entered a duel. If he had a fear of death, he might hesitate or falter, and that itself might mean death.

For us, failure feels like death. The idea of being the writer who goes unpublished for 40 years is terrifying, and it makes us rethink our approach for query letters or publishing.

Instead, think of it like this: be fearless. The worst death happens from inaction. The more you do, the more outlandish methods you try, it can only benefit you.

Embrace the possibility of (career) death to find freedom.

18.) Do not seek goods or fiefs in your old age

The farther you go, the less you should have. You should be refining your process over time, cutting away the excess that doesn’t serve your purpose, and holding less allegiance to things or organizations the older you get.

19.) Respect Buddha and the gods but ask them for nothing

Regardless of your religion and beliefs, it’s still you who has to write the book and send it to someone.

Don’t assume that your friends or family want to beta-read your book just because you wrote a book. Let them offer a helping hand.

20.) Sacrifice your life before you sacrifice your name

Your work might never succeed in your lifetime. There are many authors who become venerated long after they are gone. The fear of your books not taking off or becoming popular should not stop you from writing them.

Also, don’t become a J.K. Rowling once you get to the top. You’d ruin an entire series for a generation of fans.

21.) Never stray from the Way of strategy

Even through doubt, even after the motivation fades, keep going.

No matter how long it takes, keep going.

You’re doing this for a reason. Keep in touch with the thing that got you started.