"I Wish I Was a Writer"

During my college years my friends and I looked with awe at a woman who chased around nine children and still took time to welcome hordes of students into her home. Those who called her mother were far more than her nine children.

One friend mentioned that she always felt an inferiority complex around this woman when she thought of having her own children until one day she realized that even this matronly saint at one point had to start with her first child. Even the ultimate mother had a rough start at first.

The same is true for writers. All writers start off as awkward, clunky, and intimidated. Stephen King filled up a spike with all of his rejection letters. The key for published writers is they not only started, they kept at it.

Keeping in mind that we all need to start somewhere, perhaps some great would-be writers need to dive into the elementary or adolescent years of awkward, underdeveloped writing in order to unlock the potential they have stored within them. Set small goals and keep building them. Don’t give up if the magic does not happen right away!

I am continually surprised to see how my own writing has changed over the past two years. Each little accomplishment paves the way for another step. Each day of writing encourages me to try again tomorrow.

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