Why Do You Want to Write?

Not everyone is born to write. In spite of that, there are tons of books being published these days, and very few are prize winners. The reason may be that there are lots of people who feel that they just HAVE TO write a story or a book, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction.

What’s interesting to learn is when the writing “bug” hits. Some folks start writing at a fairly young age. It’s like any other art or sport or vocation. It’s in them, and they find a way to let it out, whether they’re any good or not. They just want to express themselves. Some call that a “passion”.

For others, the desire to write comes later in life. Maybe their early writing was criticized or not recognized as early writing talent. Whatever, something triggers the urge to write as an adult. The topic area maybe something they know (e.g., their vocation, career, hobby, travel), or it may be something they never dreamed they’d write about. They find a natural latent talent for expressing themselves through words.

In “the old days”, they might have written a book or a proposal, and have had it rejected any number of times. This often took the second wind out of their sails. But today, with the ability to self-publish books, many of these would-be authors have a way to get their thoughts into the public domain.

The real question is, do they have the skills to go with the passion? There are many writers, but only a few good ones. The reason may be that there’s are one or two steps missing. The first is you have to write a lot, and maybe suffer a lot of rejections. But the experience of writing may hone your skills. Another option is to take writing class or read lots of books on writing. Just like a little child who wants to be a gymnast or a figure skater or a musician, there are those pesky lessons, day-in and day-out, to obtain and sharpen the required skills.

So, three requirements: passion, skill development, and practice. But even then, there’s one more issue: you have to know the audience you’re writing for. Too many authors set out to write fiction or non-fiction for an audience that they don’t or can’t relate to. Their text is stilted, too academic, too casual, or whatever. Remember, the goal of writing is to effectively transfer thoughts, ideas, concepts, etc. from the author’s mind to the reader’s mind. Note that the operative word here is “effectively”. Anything that gets in the way of that transfer process reduces the effectiveness.

All of this is hard work. it requires time and patience. Revising and editing is critical. And is this the only book inside of you? Do you have a series of some kind in mind? That’s often easier to “sell”.

Conclusion

Whatever your reason for wanting to write, go for it. Think like an athlete or a musician. Train, nurture your dream, and make it become a reality. Don’t accept early rejections. Just keep writing until you hit your stride.

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