When I was a much younger man (32 is the new 74, last I heard), I found myself writing far too much and for no reason at all. Aimless writing is much akin to masturbation, but instead at the end you realize you’ll never get what you want with this and go to bed later than you had planned.

At some point in High School and shortly thereafter, I discovered the wonderful world of freelance editing. Namely, I found that my schoolmates would pay a few bucks to have somebody look over their work. This eventually became tantamount to doing their work for them.

By chance, if you are a child or a student in any fashion and happen to find yourself reading this, please do not do what I did. Also, do not buy the services of somebody who did what I did. As students, it is your job to learn as best you can and writing is one of the few opportunities you have to express yourself in a way you are not normally asked to. Honestly, when else does an adult or person in power ever ask for your opinion on something as important as a war or a novel based around a war, the presidency of some great man, the tyranny of somebody else, or something in between?

Now, with the obligatory “do not do what I did” warning out of the way . . .