I’ve loved writing for years... so many I have lost track by now. By no means am I an expert, and the most I’ve ever done is write some articles and short pieces in my spare time. I haven’t had any classes in writing, unless high school English and my college general education courses count. But, somewhere deep inside of me, I still hold that small flame of hope that maybe, one day, my writing could be something.
Like so many writers out there, I’ve doubted my abilities more times than I could count. Am I good enough to let others see my writing? Am I the only one that thinks my words are touching and my jokes are funny? Am I too biased to realize that I am really just average? It’s like looking in a carnival mirror. You never know if you can trust what you see.
No, I’m not the greatest. I’m nowhere close to the next Tolstoy or Edgar Allen Poe, and I couldn’t hold a candle to Hemingway or Stephen King, but most of us can’t. We are all writing for different reasons. Some write because they feel like they have a story to tell, some because it helps them arrange their thoughts, and others write as an outlet of some type. Our differences are what make us so great and allow our writing to stand out.
Everyone has a dream in their life. Some people dream about traveling the world, or starting a restaurant in Paris, while others dream of having a family or becoming a doctor. Just because that dream isn’t easy, or you also want to do something else, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hold onto it. So, you may end up running a business or designing fashion. That doesn’t mean that you can’t still fulfill a different dream in the long run. It doesn’t mean that one day you won’t become that world-famous author you always wished you could be.
So, to everyone out there like me, keep writing. Those short stories you write when you get out of class or home from work. Those poems you create after experiencing an unforgettable moment. That novel you have saved on your laptop that you haven’t touched in a while. Whether your goal in life is to be a writer, or you just hold that tiny glimmer of hope in your heart that maybe one day your dream will become a reality, never give up. Sometimes things will get tough and you will doubt yourself more than ever before, but don’t stop. Let your voice be heard. Even if you’re not there yet, you never know what may be on the next page of your journey.
So, I'll keep writing… because I’ll never know if I never try.
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” – Richard Bach
