On Writing and Being a Writer

I've been thinking on what to write. Got to my drafts and other parchments, doodles and all that. Then while cleaning up one of my online folders, I dawned on one of these posts that exactly summed up what's been in my thoughts. It's written by a good friend, Wendi, from my early years online. She's a gifted writer and editor. Here's her insights on being a writer:

Being a writer is not about having an abundance of too-big-to-use words found in a dictionary.

Being a writer is not about knowing where to put a comma or a hyphen.

Being a writer is not about properly formatting what you've written to fit somebody else's standards.

Being a writer is not about being published.

Being a writer is not about fame or fortune.


Being a writer is not about being able to lace together a few choice words with elegant style.

Being a writer is more than being able to write two poems and half a romance novel.

Being a writer is more than having raw talent.

Being a writer is dedication first and foremost to the best sense of self one can find. How does one find that distant sense of self?

By writing their way directly into the core of the ugliest, most difficult to face parts of themselves; turning it inside out, wiping it off with a sponge, hanging it out to dry in a cool spring breeze, refreshing it with a coat of creativity, then wearing it again with pride.

Being a writer is about soul-diving, finding vacant lots and filling them up; finding wounds and discovering ways to heal them. Writing is about free falling into the all that is within you...... with your eyes open, knowing that there's nothing to hold on to but yourself and your dreams.

Being a writer is not an occupation, it's a way of life.

Being a writer is seeing a "for sale" sign on an old abandoned house and visualizing in an instant the characters who occupied it, where they went, why they left and what each trait of each character in that house would have been, had you been there to witness that life. Being a writer is being able to stare rejection in the face and say, "That's okay. I knew you were comin', I can wait 'til I'm ready. It's not personal."...... and then crying in bed for two days wondering why you weren't good enough to be accepted.

Being a writer is about waking up in the middle of the night with a half thought in mid-flight out of no where heading towards unknown destinations; but stopping long enough to nag you out of bed to get a pen; and keep you up 'til it's finished exhausting it's purpose for waking you, whatever that may be.

Being a writer is about staring at blank pieces of paper wondering where the first drop of ink is going to come from or lead to. Being a writer is about being honest, real, open, aware and raw. You can always spell check and have what you've written corrected grammatically.

Being a writer is a gift. But to write something that is clear, you must be clear about what it is you're writing.

(Many thanks, Wendi. I love your sentiments, fresh as yesterday. T.)