I've always liked to write. As a kid, I was a huge bookworm and I still am. I could spend hours on end sitting on the couch absorbed in whatever I was reading. After a while, I would start making up stories in my head. And as I got older, I put them on paper. The stories I made up varied from middle-grade novels about bullying to futuristic tales grounded in science fiction.

When most people think of famous writers, there are a few names that will almost inevitably come to mind. JK Rowling, Agatha Christie, and Mark Twain, to name a few. As an elementary schooler, I dreamed of becoming a famous writer who would rank with the most popular names, who would win a Pulitzer prize and be on the new releases list at the bookstores. I still do.

From what I've heard though, it's not easy. I've never received a rejection letter (probably because I've never tried publishing a novel yet), but I'm sure I will one day when I start trying. Many people know that JK Rowling was rejected at least ten times before "Harry Potter" became the obsession of kids around the world. But she wasn't the only one.

Stephen King, Louisa May Alcott, and Rudyard Kipling are among many brilliant authors initially rejected by publishers who are known for their work today.

The message here is clear - you may receive many rejections before someone likes what you've written.

But that doesn't mean you should give up. Keep practicing and perfecting your craft. There's a saying among writers that your first million words are crap. While this may be somewhat harsh, when I look at what I used to write compared to what I can write now, there is definitely an improvement. I can only hope that I've written a million words by now and moved past the "crap" stage, but if I haven't, it's all the more reason to keep on writing.

Regardless of how much recognition I'll get for it, writing is something I've always enjoyed doing and always will. It's a way for me to have control - to build my own worlds and characters, and give them names and personalities.

One of the most crucial pieces of advice I can offer to anyone who wants to become a writer themselves is to write what they want, not what they think other people will want.

And most importantly, don't stop reading. Read as much as you can, whether it's magazines, novels, nonfiction, journals, or whatever you can get your hands on. I know I probably wouldn't be the writer I am today if I hadn't spent all that time I did as a kid sitting in the loft of our old apartment, devouring one book after another.