We all experience fear. It’s not unusual for people to want to write, but to feel as though they shouldn’t. I’m here to tell you that the fear may never completely go away. Most of the time, I crack open a new notebook or document and dive right in. But when I’m working on a big, meaningful, or important project, I get a little nervous. I procrastinate. I question whether I’m cut out for it.
But that doesn’t stop me. I force myself to write that first sentence, even if it sucks. Then I write the next sentence and the next one. Who cares if it’s no good? Nobody can see it but me, and I get to go back and clean it up before I show it to anyone else. I’ve got nothing to lose, so why would I let all those irrational fears stop me?
One day, one of my relatives approached me, sat me down, and said in all seriousness, “I’m thinking about writing,” and then looked at me expectantly, while I sat there thinking, Okay. So go write.
Suddenly, I realized that this person was asking me for permission to write. I somehow became part of the equation of whether or not someone would pursue writing. Which is ridiculous.
Look, nobody needs to give you permission to write. If you want to write, then write. Stop making excuses, stop looking for a magic talisman that will turn you into Shakespeare. Just write.
Am I a Writer?
Lots of people fret over this question. There are discussions all over the Internet about who qualifies as a writer. Do you need a degree? Do you have to have published something? Earned income from writing? At what point do you go from being a normal person to being a writer?
For me, the answer is simple: if you write, then you’re a writer. Now, that doesn’t mean you should jot writer down as your profession on a form or application. It’s only your occupation if you make a living at it (or any income whatsoever). But in a general sense, people who write are writers. If you want to split hairs and talk about writers who write professionally or who make a living writing, then we call those people authors.
The real question is not whether you’re a writer. It’s what kind of writer are you? Are you a writer who writes when the mood strikes? Do you wait for inspiration and then write only a few times a year? Is writing a hobby or do you want to make writing your career? Is your goal to get published? Do you want to improve your writing?
If so, then you need to make a commitment to writing.
Making a Commitment to Writing
What separates professional writers from would-be writers and what separates writers who produce quality work from those who produce amateur work is not talent—this is a common misconception—it’s commitment.
Every New Year’s Day, people make resolutions, setting goals they plan on accomplishing throughout the year. They’re going to lose weight, get a new job, save money, start exercising, or write a book.
By spring, most of those resolutions have been abandoned and people fall back into their old routines.
Some people make these same resolutions year after year and never reach the goals they keep setting for themselves.
But some people fulfill their resolutions. Personally, I find that most people who accomplish these kinds of goals don’t set them at the start of a new year. They set their goals when they’re good and ready to make a real commitment.
And commitment is what differentiates those who reach their goals from those who don’t. They don’t set a goal because they’d like to be thinner or richer, or because they’ve always wanted to write a book. They set a goal because they are prepared to make a commitment to it.
Chapter Two: Writing
Start from the beginning
