To Be a Writer

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What Makes You a Writer?

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At some point, we all end up writing something, but that doesn't mean we all consider ourselves "writers." We write stuff in school, and at work, sure, but what does it take to actually call yourself a writer?

Jeez, the number of papers people have to write in college is ridiculous. We write these really great research papers or essays or whatever it is because we’re forced to do it for a grade, and they can be fabulous writings. They can even win prizes, but could you call yourself a writer if you only did it because you were forced to do it for a grade? No, to me, a writer is somebody who does it because they want to, they desire to, not because they have to. That is the difference.

I came across a post earlier about a beautiful lady who mentioned she sent one of her poems somewhere, not really expecting anything to come of it. To her surprise, she got a call saying it was accepted! If she hadn’t written it down, it wouldn’t have happened. She submitted her poem just like thousands of others hoping to get featured in this poetry book, but she was the one chosen because, at that moment, her words needed to be heard. You never know when your words are ready to make an impact, so go ahead and share them. Just make sure to share them positively. There’s a big difference between spreading negativity and sharing something uplifting. A true writer doesn’t just vent anger or complain for the sake of it.

Lately, I've noticed a lot of folks saying stuff like "If only I could be a writer" or "I might not be a writer, but..." or "I'll never be a writer."

What do you think being a “writer” means?

I believe a "writer" is someone who just feels the urge to write. It's something that makes them happy.

I've been around for over 39 years, and from what I've noticed, most people aren't fans of writing—unless it's to hop on social media and share random stuff.

I'm not talking about that kind of writing. There's a difference between posting on social media and being a "writer." Most of the time, those posts are just about trivial stuff without much depth.

A writer writes to get their thoughts onto paper because if they don’t, they feel so overwhelmed by them it’s like their head is about to explode. Once you write them down on paper, or type them out, you just feel this relief wash over you, almost like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Only a true writer can feel that.

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Just Get Them Out

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I don’t know about you, but for me, thoughts just randomly pop into my head, having nothing to do with whatever I’m doing. I can be driving down the road, and I have an aha moment and just feel this strong desire to get it down somehow. Before the voice recorder on the phone, or maybe before I realized it was on my phone, I bought one of those recorders, similar to the one Kevin had in Home Alone, but smaller. I have so many random thoughts on there, just waiting to be written down one day. The same goes for the crazy amount of notebooks, random papers in random drawers and folders, and the notes on my phone. It’s ridiculous how much stuff I have written down, just dying for a chance to be heard. Eventually, when I can find my high school me’s poems, I’ll post them on here. Pretty sure they are in our storage unit.

While driving my daughter to volleyball practice tonight, I started thinking about what I wanted to say in this article. But since I was driving and she was with me, I couldn't just start blurting things into my phone. So, I concentrated on the exact words I wanted to use and repeated them in my head until I dropped her off and could jot them down. I did this for 15 minutes to make sure I remembered. Why? Because my brain insisted it was important and I HAD to write it down.

Honestly, most people just don't do that. It's pretty uncommon. Really, think about it—how many people do you know that actually writes down their feelings and thoughts regularly? If at all. Try asking your friends what they think about doing that. I bet most of them will say they don't. At least, that's what I've seen.

For the longest time, I couldn't imagine myself as a writer, hanging out with all those legendary authors from the past. But why not me? They didn't see themselves that way while they were writing. They just wrote because something inside them said to put it on paper, so they did.

All the legends from back in the day had no clue about technology. There was no Instagram, Facebook, or Substack. They just jotted down their thoughts on whatever they could find—even cave walls!

I'm so grateful they did. Wanna know why? Because if those few people hadn't taken the time to jot down their thoughts, we'd know nothing about the past. I don't know about you, but I find the past super interesting. Those folks were living their lives, dealing with their own stresses, just like we do now. We don't know most of them—their names, what they looked like, or who they were. We just know they existed. But the intriguing lives of the people we do know about? That's all thanks to writing. I'm really thankful they were meant to write their thoughts down.

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To Leave this World for a Bit

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I am so very thankful for all you fiction writers out there. You write the things that people need to get away from their own world for a bit and get lost in a completely different one. It really does help when you are lonely. I got grounded for long periods of time growing up. When I say grounded I mean, in my room, only to get out to eat and use the bathroom, kind of grounded. Two weeks was my max, once (that stories is under my blog “Bullies”), normally it was for 4-7 days depending on what happened. Parents aren’t allowed to do that to their kids anymore.

Most of the time, I actually enjoyed it. My mom would tell me I couldn't play with my toys or do anything that most people consider "fun." But, to me, reading is fun! I've read hundreds, maybe even thousands of books in my life. I even topped our accelerated reader program back in middle school. I scored a free yearbook in 8th grade thanks to reading. I don't dive into fiction as much as I used to, but sometimes I still feel like it, and I'm super grateful to those people for writing down their thoughts so I could soak them up. I also got to write while grounded.

Harry Potter has been such a massive part of my life. So big that when I win the lottery, I am going to get either a half sleeve or full sleeve of all my favorite Harry Potter things. I have the original books, the ones from when they first came out. The first one is from 1999; yes, I have that. I was one of those who waited VERY impatiently for each new book to come out. Oh, my, J.K. Rowling, thank you, because you made a huge difference in my life. My 13-year-old daughter just finished reading them all. She was never much of a reader before those books. Now she neglects more than she should so that she can read. She loved them that much. Now she rarely uses her phone. She has a massive list of books she plans to read. She just finished reading the Twilight Series; thank you, Stephenie Meyer, because she did not stop talking about them (I’m saying that in a nice way). From the first to the last, she just gushed over them. My heart sings seeing her so excited about books. She has so many books she wants to read she is getting overwhelmed. I just love that. She asked for a bookcase for her birthday, which is in 5 days (14 already, sob).

I homeschool my 9-year-old daughter, and we read together every day. Most nights, I read to her, and during our school time, we take turns. We've learned so much together. I really cherish these moments, and I know she does too, because she's asking me right now to come read to her, so off I go!

Once again, I want to give a shoutout to all you awesome writers for creating some of the most amazing fiction books out there.

Keep writing dreamers!

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Music is Good for the Soul

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Can you picture life without songs? You know, those emotional ones that really get to you. We wouldn't have them if someone hadn't felt the need to jot them down. I definitely can't imagine that. Remember how I told you I spend a lot of time in my room? Music was a massive part of my life growing up. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without books, writing, and music. All three of them have saved my life on numerous occasions.

A few years ago, I went to a REO Speedwagon concert, and the lead singer, Kevin Cronin, shared the story behind the song "I Can't Fight This Feeling." It was the middle of the night, and he was feeling under the weather. Something woke him up—writers will get this—it was that creative urge. He felt it big time. He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but it just kept bugging him. Some might call that a muse, maybe? Eventually, he gave in, got out of bed, and wrote the song anyway. Thank goodness he did, because I love that song.

What about the movies and shows you totally love? They're there because someone wrote a script for them.

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Religious Writings

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Hey, what about all the religious folks out there? You've got that special something from the past that shapes your morals and guidelines. Whether it's the Bible, the Quran, or something else, how did those texts come to be? Someone had thoughts, decided to write them down, and now you've got your sacred texts to read. It's wild, right? Just because someone chose to put their thoughts on paper. Without that, they’d just be thoughts or sounds with no substance. Be that substance, be that voice—that's what you're here for.

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History in the Making

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Keep writing like the legends from back in the day. Imagine where we'd be without them. Our future generations need your wisdom, just like we needed theirs to get where we are today. You know those old sayings like “wisdom of the ages” and “wise elderly”? There’s a reason they exist—because of all the experiences and lessons those folks went through. If you feel that itch to write, then go for it like the greats did, and jot down your thoughts, no matter what anyone says. I'm sure plenty of those legends got bad reviews back in their time. Thank goodness they didn’t let that stop them, right?

It's funny how the term "writers" covers so much ground. There's no single way to write. You've got fiction, nonfiction, poems, songs, textbooks, even the notes scientists jot down. And don't forget about legal stuff. Honestly, the topic doesn't really matter. If you feel the pull to be a writer, then that's your thing. You just know it deep down—it's who you are. Be proud! I am!

Everyone's got their unique spark, their own special calling. Just think about how different life would be without those brilliant tech minds we've got. It's hard to even picture a world without technology now, right? Thankfully, those geniuses did what they did, and it all started with writing things down. So, if there's something you're super passionate about, jot it down. Be the writer you're meant to be if that's what you feel drawn to. Don't sell yourself short or doubt your abilities. Go out there and say, "I'm a writer, hear me roar. I'm a history maker. My name will go down in history"

Godspeed to all my beautiful writer souls out there! I want to see you shine!