My greatest concern when I started this journey was writing well, which is dumb. Writing is a skill. It takes practice. Any new thing you learn, you aren’t good at, in the beginning. As time goes by, and with repetition, you get better. No one writes well at first. They learn to write well later.
I agonized over this, and I realized that I didn’t care if others like my writing. I like my writing style. I don’t expect it to be for everyone, but I write what I would want to read. That is a confidence that took forever to build up. Believe me, there are people out there who will try to make you question yourself and your abilities. DON’T LET THEM.
After, I discovered I feared that others wouldn’t consider my work worth reading. I feel this is reasonable. You can easily improve a skill. You cannot move peoples’ hearts. I sadly don’t have the power to control whether someone likes my story. (I know! Annoying.)
All of this is part of the process of become a writer.
Being a writer isn’t just about refining your craft. It’s about refining your character as well.
I say I want to be a writer, which is dumb, because it isn’t a state of being. People become writers. Writing is a long-time friend who has been by my side since I was 8. I became a writer the first time a wrote a story. I continue my transformation with each word that flows out of me. I AM a writer. Yet that phrase still feels silly and untrue, because I’m not a “real” writer.
So I set these objectives.
I’ll become a “real” writer once I finish a manuscript. Done.
I’ll become a “real” writer when I write every day. Easy.
I’ll become a “real” writer when I share my writing. Hello Blog!
Now I’m saying I’ll become a “real” writer once I have a published book.
But will I?
The next objective will probably be selling X amount of books, then writing X amount of books, then earning X amount from book sales. I don’t see an end to it. This is all horrible, because all I want is to be a writer. I feel like Dorothy. I’m on this epic journey, and I alone have the power over it. Except she didn’t realize it, while I do.
The writing process is like a story. It has a beginning, middle, and end. You have an idea. You write it, and polish it. Then you publish it and put it into the hands of others. (It sounds so simple written out that way.)
The writer process isn’t different. You discover the joy of writing. You work on it and better yourself. Then there will be a point where you realize that you don’t become a writer after you accomplish some arbitrary goal. You were a writer the second you took your passion and ran with it.
I know this, and yet calling myself a writer still feels so silly and untrue. But if I don’t believe I’m a writer, no one else will.
So, if you are an aspiring writer and you need to told. You are a REAL writer. Now believe it and go write!
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