You are a Writer

Since I was a child, I've loved reading and writing; two things that have remained constants in my life. But I don't call myself a writer. I tend to think writers are the ones who are published, who have large blogs, or whose articles make it into the New Yorker. But the truth is obvious. 

If you write, you are a writer.

Why is that statement so hard to accept? I love how Jeff Goins talks about the practice of writing. First, it must be a practice. He also encourages writing in public. Practicing your art in public ~ no matter the genre ~ has an impact on improving your craft. For the comedian, the audience helps him understand which bits will land and which ones will bomb. For the painter, the audience shows what they're drawn to in her work. For the writer, it sheds light on what topics impact others. If you haven't read his book, You Are A Writer (So Start Acting Like One), you should! It's incredibly inspiring.

I have been an on-again, off-again blogger for about eight years (I had a previous blog before this one). It's my favorite public platform and I always return after life pulls me away. I was cleaning up some of my old posts last week, and it surprised me how many essays I found among them. Granted some of those essays make me cringe now, but they also encourage me because I see improvement.

Writing on this site has given me a place to practice in front of others, no matter how many or how few. To speak my heart in written form.

I'm still learning how to do this. Probably will be saying that until the day I die. The beauty of creating something is that there's always room for improvement. The crafting of our art is beautiful because of the process. If we can view it that way, then there is no fear in claiming a name for what we're already doing. Although I could call myself a painter, a knitter, or a musician as well, because I do those things with semi-regularity; it's writing that has always pulled my heartstrings. And that's probably because . . .

I am a writer.



Are you a writer? What calls to you?