A Writer Is Not…

A writer is not scared.  He or she can’t be.  We have to be willing to accept the challenges, the looks, the inner and outer demons, in order to truly say that we are writers.

We all get doubts.  Is this career even possible?  Will I ever go anywhere with my writing?  Will anyone want to read my stuff?

A writer is not scared.

A writer is also not alone.

Every single day can feel like agony if you convince yourself that you’re alone…but you’re not.  WordPress is a great place to make acquaintances with other writers and build a community.  It’s hard to be a writer and feel like you are your only fan, you’re the only person looking out for you, you’re the only person going through all the struggles.  Well, you’re not.

A writer is not alone.

A writer is also not a cry baby.

Look, nobody likes criticism.  But, in the words of my father, criticism is the only way that we can truly grow.  As writers, we need to be critics of ourselves; we have to be willing to let go and change what we’ve done, even though it hurts to do so.  We have to be willing to listen to others, take advice, and be humble when an editor says “This is crap”.

A writer is not a cry baby.

A writer is also not a quitter.

So many writers…MOST writers, I daresay, could’ve quit.  They could’ve said “You know what, I’m too busy.  I can’t make time to write.”  It’s so easy to make excuses, it’s so easy to just forget about it for one day, or resign ourselves to the belief that it’s not possible.  We’ll never finish the book, we’ll never get a contract, no one will like us.

Lies.  All of them.  If you are a writer, than you cannot be a quitter.

A writer is not a quitter.

Or a cry baby.

Or alone.

Or scared.

Now get out there and do it.  Write!

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So I wrote a fantasy novel!  It’s called Elithius.  It’s only $0.99 on Amazon Kindle, and only $12 as a paperback.  You can check it out here.  You’re welcome.

Cover art by Elizabeth M