"I promise you that every self-doubt you've had, I've had."
Hey there!
Can you stare into space and imagine worlds that don't exist?
Do you get into arguments with the characters in your head?
Do you keep a notebook with you all the time because sometimes you get these amazing ideas that you have to write down because if you forget them there is a very good chance the sun will explode and all life on Earth will cease to exist?
Yeah, I thought so.
You are a writer.
That's the good news. The bad news?
You are a writer.
You are not a magician. Or a wizard. Or an author who had published twenty million books (yet).
You were born with the seeds of your talent, the ability to observe the world around you and weave piece of it into a story. I believe that most —if not all —people are born with these seeds. What separates the writers from the non-writers is that the writers actually sit down and ... you know ... write.
It sounds simple. We both know it isn't.
Writing fiction is a bold and brave thing to do. You have to stand up to the critics in your home and school AND the critics in your head and tell them to shush. You have to believe that you have permission from the Universe to create. You have to be willing to fail, mess up, make mistakes, go down the wrong path, be confused, feel inadequate, and then still sit down and ... you know ... write.
I promise you that every self-doubt you've had, I've had. Every procrastination tool you've tried, I perfected. The struggles that you are going through with your book are exactly the struggles I am going through. All writers climb the same mountains.
It doesn't matter how many books I've had published. I have never before written the book I am writing today. It is hard and sometimes frustrating, but I know the aggravation is worth it. I stumble and mutter and cross things out and have flashes of inspiration and ignore the nasty doubts and keep writing.
You can do this, too.
Because we are writers, and writers, you know... write.
Laurie Halse Anderson
www.writerlady.com
