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Becoming a Writer Is Not a Choice

Copyright 2003-2008 Beth Mende Conny, WriteDirections.com. All rights reserved in all media.

The content of this article may be forwarded in full without special permission provided it is used for not-for-profit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For all other purposes, contact Beth Mende Conny Beth@WriteDirections.com.

Enough of the handwringing. No more of the moans. It's time to do what you must do—write. Here's why:

The urge to write is physical and demands a physical response
You can feel your ideas swell like the tide. The words are fast behind. They long to find land, the page. You alone can bring them to shore and hold them like a shell to your ear. And when you they whisper, "Let me become," your fingers can't help but respond. With steady hands, you reach for a pen.

Only you can write what only you know
We share the same air yet breathe our own. Inhale, exhale. We are alive. Within each breath are our stories. We inhale all that is around us—people, places, things, experiences—and exhale our interpretations of each. Our take on life is what makes us unique and it is this we must share.

Writing adds color to your life
You no longer will settle for a black and white life. Your writing has revealed a rich palette of colors, vibrant and full of surprises, for you never know what will happen when you dip your brush into a world of possibilities. Just when you think red and yellow make orange, they suddenly make blue, like none you've seen before. No longer will you settle for shades of gray.

You must give your all to all
Your life has meaning; you interpret its meaning. Yes, meaning changes but always there is a constant—the people within it. You may not know all of them, for there are millions in the world. But you know something of what makes them tick and tock, cry and laugh. They, like you, need a point of connection, and that is where your words come in. They are the bridge that links hearts together. Your insights give expression to that which goes beyond your life. To write is to love others, and to help them love themselves.

Beth Mende Conny is the founder and president of WriteDirections.com. She has published more than four dozen books and collections, and helps individuals and businesses bring their projects to publication. She can be contacted at Beth@WriteDirections.com.