Find the Desire and Drive to Write

 

To be a writer who finds some success, you must have the desire, the drive, and the passion within. How do you know if you have any, or all, of those three traits? None of them are things you can touch or hold in your hands. They can't sit on your mantel as a daily reminder. You can't gift wrap them and give them to yourself.

The desire to write begins with a seed planted by your subconscious. You think about it, and as time moves on, you think about it a lot. You read books and magazines, and you have a yen to try this writing thing yourself. That little seed might start growing within each time you thnk about trying to be a writer. 

For me, the desire was there from school age on, but I allowed life to get in the way. If I could live my life over, one of the first things I would do is pursue a writing career. Because I put other people in my life first, the drive to write became stagnant. It wasn't gone, but it didn't get nourished so it could grow either. I wouldn't abandon those others in my life, but I would definitely allow myself more 'me' time.

Once I reached a point in life where I had fewer obligations to my family and community, the desire started to grow, and the drive became a constant in my life. I'd wasted a lot of years when I wasn't writing, so I felt like I had to make up for lost time. 

I read all I could about writing. I joined my state writers organization. I joined an online critique group. I slowly acquired a group of writer friends. Best of all, I did start writing. The more I wrote, the more I wanted to continue. The drive evolved from the desire. 

When I started writing with hopes of submitting my work, the passion began, and it grew like the desire and the drive. Writers don't acquire these traits overnight. They grow little by little. The love of writing acts like fertizer on a flower bed making the desire, drive, and passion bloom like a glorious summer garden.

If you have the desire, you must work at this writing business to acquire the drive and the passion. The more you write, the more you'll develop these three traits. Don't be an occasional writer. Make writing a part of your life, and you'll reap benefits.