The other day, I tweeted that I needed a break from writing and asked people what they thought about my topic. I expected a couple of suggestions, but got a lot more than I could’ve imagined. Pretty soon, I had several helpful responses, including @jkimbo81: “Get a life. You’ll never be able to write about everything. You’re meant to be a writer. You should be proud!”
I thought about what she said and decided to take a step back. I needed to remind myself why I chose to write in the first place. And what better way to do that than by reflecting on what I’ve learned over the past few years of being a full-time writer? So here goes…
Writing Is A Form of Self-expression
When I decided to become a writer, I did so for several reasons. First, I love to communicate. Second, I enjoy helping others by providing them with useful information and third, I enjoy having my mind play with ideas and concepts as I put them down in words. For myself, writing is a form of self-expression that I can use to explore my thoughts and feelings about a variety of topics. It’s helped me to discover things about myself that I never would’ve known existed had I not been able to express myself through writing.
It’s Never Too Early To Start Writing
I always tell my students that it’s never too early to start writing. With a little bit of courage and the desire to express yourself, you can begin creating something that you can be proud of. From there, you can learn a lot about yourself and your writing style. You’re never too big or too small to start writing. It’s amazing what the world has to offer.
The More You Put In, The More You Get Back
This may seem like a strange statement, but it’s actually a very effective way of looking at writing. The more you put in, the more you get back. It’s a common quote, but it’s one that I live by. Writing is a lot like cooking in that way. You have to put in the time and effort to learn the basics, but once you do, the rewards are considerable.
It’s also important to note here that while you are putting in the effort to learn and to get better, you also have to be willing to accept what you wrote and be confident enough in yourself to know that you can improve. We all have our bad days when we feel like we’re not capable of writing anything, but that’s just because we’re not used to putting our thoughts on paper. We’ve all been there, so it’s not something to be ashamed of. This is a learning process, and while it can be challenging, it’s also a lot of fun.
Learn To Value Your Opinion
One of the things that helped me most in the beginning was taking a step back and realizing that what I thought was valuable regarding my topic was probably not going to be the same as what other people thought. When it came down to valuing my opinion versus someone else’s, I usually opted for my own because I knew that I could learn a lot from my mistakes.
A lot of times, we don’t value our own opinions because we think that what we have to offer is the same as everyone else’s. But the truth is, what other people think is often very different from what we think, even when the opinions are similar. So by taking the time to learn to value my own opinion and the opinions of the people I interact with on a daily basis, I’ve become a better writer. And that, my friends, is something to celebrate.
Make Sure You’re Ready
This goes hand in hand with starting early. When you’re ready, you’re ready. You don’t want to rush into anything. Take the time to learn the craft, take the time to develop your voice, and most importantly, take the time to learn how to value your opinion. Once you’re ready, the world is your oyster. You just have to be brave enough to grab it with both hands and never let go.