_____
Quite possibly the best quote ever, on so many levels.
The question, "Am I a writer?" is irrelevant. The real question is, do you want to write?
Writers write. You get up every morning and hit that keyboard. You get the words down and build stories. You might have to do other things to keep groceries in the pantry, but above and beyond everything else, you write. Every day. Despite all the disappointments, despite all the obstacles, you write.
Every day.
As you write, you learn. You create characters and give them problems and make them work to solve their problems. You send your stories out to market and keep sending them until somebody starts to publish them. But the stark fact is that no one can know if you're a writer - you won't know it yourself - until you have written well enough to be published.
Frankly, most people give up. Writing is hard, lonely work and they get tired of it. But every successful writer starts exactly where you are now, and succeeds by writing and writing and writing until they get published regularly.
Do the work. Write. Learn. Write every day. Read and learn from published writers. Work at it every day. There's no other way to become a writer.
Good luck,
--Ben Bova
For more tips and advice from Ben Bova, click HERE.
Happy Writing,
~Lydia
This couldn't have come at a better time, as I struggle with whether or not I want to make this work. And the answer is yes. Absolutely. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant. I think we sometimes wrap 'writing' in this mysterious blanket and forget that it takes a lot of hard word and persistence. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteWriting is an addiction that we all have to remember that we do because we love it.
ReplyDeleteStraight to the point!! Yes, yes I am.
ReplyDeleteI love writing. While the kids are at school and hubby is at work, I leave my mummy duties and enter my second life. Okay, I am usually killing people, but hey, we can't have everything..right?
ReplyDeleteGreat post!