Read This Before Calling Yourself A Writer
Writing isn’t a job; it’s an obsession.
You might think you’re a writer. You can work in writing for many years, but does that make you a writer? A real writer, I mean.
One that’s held back by these, or similar, intrusive thoughts:
- If my articles were any good, people would be reading my work.
- I’m wasting my time barking up the wrong tree.
- I should go back to the content mill where I belong.
These anchors sink every spark of creativity I have. I end up constantly ruling out article ideas that “won’t be popular,” researching what’s new and learning new ways to connect with my audience.
So it goes, I end up doing everything but writing.
The thing is, writing requires three things:
- An idea.
- The urge to share that idea.
- Putting that idea into words so someone else can read it.
Not in your imagination, but using an actual keyboard or a pen to write stuff down.
Writing is a passion, but it’s also an obsession:
That’s what everyone calls finding your passion: making things happen.
People born to write need to accept that writing is the one thing they crave to do every time they stumble into something new, complex, or different.
They don’t feel an urge to dance it out or record a TikTok. Instead, they dream about writing that sh*t down in any format available.
Having completed this step, they can start owning their truth and call themselves writers.
Yet, it’s imperative to play the part too:
- You need to read other writers’ work.
- You need to do research.
- You need to stay curious about life and everything around you, and most importantly...
- You need to write.
Being a writer is hard. There are no promotions, quantifiable index of progress, or golden stars on your forehead.
The desire to write won’t grow by learning every grammar rule, joining book clubs, or monetizing your ideas.
Writing is how you use words to elicit something more real than real life:
The passion for writing lives in the shadows, kicking you in the ribs whenever you hear a real story so unbelievable you need to make others kneel before the dangers of “everydayness.”
Writing is about connection. It is about grabbing your readers by the neck and luring them into a machiavellian trap beyond the realm of words.
It takes imagination, courage, and overcoming the fear of overexposing yourself.
And if you’re really good, it might make you some money.
But you don’t write for money, you write because you need to feed the beast.
Pouring yourself into a white page has two main consequences:
It helps you find your voice.
It helps you build an audience.
Being a writer is the constant interaction of those two elements.
To improve your writing, you need to work on delivering that message clearly, keeping in mind that your audience also needs help to figure out the chaos within them.
You’re one writing session away from lighting a fire.
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