Did You Choose To Be A Writer or.....?

Choosing

Did you choose to be a writer, or did writing choose you? There's a writing prompt for you. A full essay can be written in answer to this one simple question. 

I've run across references to our choice to be a writer a few times recently. The first one was the opening sentence of today's post. This weekend I read a book called The Book of Dreams by Nina George. One of the characters is a book publisher. A piece of dialogue stood out for me. She said:

    " Many people only discovered here in this city that they could--or had to--be writers. You cannot decide to become a writer. You either are one or you aren't."

A 13-year-old gifted boy later in the book says the following: 

     "A story found me in Oxford. That's what always happens:  stories find you."

Another one I found in a 1st Place Essay in The Writer magazine. Bonnie Hearn Hill said:

     "Now I know that we don't pick writing, writing picks us."

I thought about those comments after I finished the book (one I'd recommend, by the way. Read about it at Amazon ) I spiraled back to my first thoughts of pursuing the writing world, and I asked myself if I chose writing or if it picked me. Maybe the latter because there was always a desire to write from childhood on. I didn't follow up on that desire for a good many years, but the yen never left. Maybe my muse was following me all my life, tapping me on the shoulder, begging me to start writing more than school assignments. I ignored her much longer than I should have. I probably gave her gray hair!

We've all heard religious leaders saying they had been 'called' to serve, or teachers who have been 'called' to teach. It's very possible you and I have been 'called' to serve in the writing field. As writers, we do serve others as well as satisfy ourselves. 

If you're a writer who has slipped in and out of the writing world, you might ask yourself why you came back to writing. What was it that made you want to try again? Is writing so much a part of who we are that, once started, we can't totally leave it? 

The second quote above regarding stories finding us runs in the same vein. Sometimes, a story does find us, almost knocks us over the head. It's up to us to latch on and make something of it. 

So, what is it? Did you choose to be a writer, or did writing choose you?

A List for Writers

We all have plans to do certain things, but life gets in our way. Whatever we were hoping to do gets delayed for longer than we'd like. Other needs in our writing world pop up and that great thought about this or that sits for a while longer. 

Then, there's another situation. We want to start a new writing project or something else writing-related but that old Fear and Doubt hold us back. Are you going to let those two monsters keep you from growing as a writer? None of us does it willingly, but it can happen. 

So today, ask yourself the question above as you examine your writing life. 

If not now, when...

• will you finish your novel?
• will you start the project that has been on your mind for months?
• will you start submitting your work for publication?
• will you read a book about writing?
• will you sign up for a writing conference? 
• will you start writing for a part of every day?
• will you do an edit and revision on all those first drafts you started and filed away?
• will you join a critique group?
• will you look in the mirror and say I am a writer?

I could add more, but you get the drift, I'm sure. The longer we put something off, the more difficult it is to step up and get it done. So, if not now, when? Once again, it's up to you.

Why Bother? A Question For Writers

Yesterday's post was about getting discouraged as a writer. Late last evening, I remembered a short piece I'd written to submit to a writing newsletter. It seemed to fit quite well with the earlier post.

Why Bother?

Does it sometimes appear that writing is meant to defeat a writer rather than buoy her to great heights? Do you ever wonder why in the world you're beating your head against the writing wall? Have you asked yourself “If it is this hard to become a widely published writer, why bother?”

We bother because we enjoy stringing words to make sentences, sentences to make paragraphs and paragraphs to create a story. We bother because there is something satisfying to our soul when we write. We bother because we are inspired by thoughts spinning through our minds, thoughts wanting to be sifted and sorted and put together coherently.

We bother, and I include myself here, because we love to write. We bother because we have something to say. We bother because we may want to prove something to ourselves. We bother because we know that the more we write, the more we grow as a writer.

We bother because we've had positive feedback from readers. We bother because we've had some encouraging rejections from editors. We bother because we've had enough acceptances to know that we are not a washout as a writer. We bother because we have something to offer to others. We bother because we’d miss writing too much if we stopped.

Now, aren't those enough reasons to stay on the writing journey? They are for me, and I hope you feel the same. Just keep in mind that there is no express elevator. You move up one step at a time.

A Question For Writers

How long have you been thinking about writing the first chapter of a new book? Has it been months, or even years, that you've considered writing your Family Stories? Are the beginning lines of a poem swirling in your head but never seem to get written as a full poem? Have you thought about trying your hand at writing but just never seem to get around to it? Is there an essay on a traumatic event you experienced that you've wanted to write, but...?

The wannabe writer thinks about getting started but something holds them back. Fear, lack of self-confidence, unable to create time to do it--any or all of these may be the reason. But, if they don't do it now, when will they?

Those of us who have been writing for years seem to be able to put things off with no guilt. I find that the longer I delay on a new project, the easier it is to keep delaying. I've learned that, if I have an idea for a new story or poem, I'd better jump on it or it might never get accomplished.

When an idea or inspiration for a new project throws itself in front of us, that's the time to act. If you don't do it now, when will it happen? The longer you let the idea dangle like the carrot in front of the donkey, the harder it will be to get started.

How many of you have wanted to write a book of your Family Stories but it's never been more than a lovely thought that dips and swirls through your mind now and then? If not now, when? When will it happen? Or maybe we should ask ourself--Will it ever happen?

How about that first draft that you've slipped into a file and left there for weeks, maybe months? Will it ever get edited? Is it going to be submitted someday or will it gather dust while you move on to something else? Do you have an unfinished book manuscript squirreled away in a file but have never gotten around to trying to market it to a publishing house? 

I've posed a lot of questions. Do you have the answers or will you continue the delay or postpone or forget-it process? Sure, it's sometimes scary to work on these projects when we don't know all the answers, when we aren't sure it's a worthwhile project or when we're not certain if we should try our hand at writing at all. 

Whatever the situation for you, ask yourself the question that our poster states If not now, when?