All you have to do to be a writer…
September 21, 2011 § 17 Comments
Towards the end of college I realized that I really wanted to give writing a shot, so I signed up for a fiction writing class. I got a lot of great experience in that class and some priceless feedback from peers, but what stuck with me the most is this simple truth that my professor shared with us: All you have to do to be a writer is write.
That might sound trite or oversimplified, but for me it’s been liberating. I tend to fixate on the idea that someday I’ll get published and then I’ll be a writer, but the truth is that I love telling stories. I love to know people are enjoying my stories, and hear them laugh at the jokes, and talk about characters and settings as if they were real. I’m a writer because I sit down at my computer (probably not as often as I should) an
d bang my head against the computer until a story comes out, and that’s not something a lot of people do. Sometimes I forget that in the headlong race to publication.
So this is me passing along a simple truth: All you have to do to be a writer is write.
R. H. Culp 
Oh Gosh! I want to be a writer too and I think this is the biggest dream I ever had in my whole little life! You know, there are times when I really want to give up and finally i start thinking: What the hell!!! This is MY DREAM and nothing’s going to stop me from making it true!!
🙂 really nice post! Keep on writing!!!
Whoa. A lot of the time it’s easy to forget. Thanks for the reminder!
YES. THIS. This is what makes you so great. Keep writing.
Thanks Harvey.
This is somewhat liberating and a relief to me. Thank you.
Thank you for your inspiration! I had to give you credit for keeping me blogging and writing! Thanks for the spirit lift.
http://thecrazyandhopefullifeofbeth.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/what-to-do-what-to-do/
Just passing along advice that really has helped me. Good luck with everything.
Simple, but very inspiring post. Sometimes I think that to be a writer, I must have extraordinary ideas. But I realized that it’s those people who are brave enough to get their ideas out there who become the good writers 🙂
Totally agree.
If you want to write, you have to write. The practice makes the master (or something along that lines). Reading is important too.
Sorry my english, I am not that good at writing in this language, but I have enjoyed reading your WP (and seems we share some book-taste).
Personally, I love to write too, telling stories is like living a little fantasy, a piece of mine that I can make real.
Keep on going.
I needed that reminder. Thanks.
I remember reading once that many of us wish to have ‘been’ a writer, rather than to write.
Sometimes I find it painful, almost excruciating to write (hopefully that’s not the case for the reader), but it’s like removing a sliver or a bad tooth, once it’s out, there is relief in accomplishment.
That’s a really great way to describe it. I can totally relate.
I have just started a writing class this week as I love writing and want to become better at it 🙂 I haven’t been able to fit around college and stuff before now and I’m absolutely loving it , only I wish the teacher would give us more feedback I love reading as well am currently reading the passage is very interesting
Best of luck to you. Stick around; writing is half of what this blog is about (and reading is half of writing so does that mean this blog is three-quarters about writing? I’ll get back to you).
Wise words. They go well with what Brian Jacques once said: “You can be an author if you learn to paint pictures with words.”
🙂
I love Brian Jacques and that’s another great quote.
He’s one of my favorite authors. Too bad he died earlier this year…
I saw you put Redwall in one of your posts and mentioned LOTR in another, which is why I’m following you (plus I like your writing)