Becoming a Writer
is Not a Choice
by Beth Mende Conny
The content of this article may be forwarded in full without special permission, provided it is used for nonprofit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other purposes, contact Beth Mende Conny at Beth@WriteDirections.com.
Attribution: © 2002-2009 Beth Mende Conny. Beth Mende Conny is the founder of WriteDirections.com and the author of more than four dozen books and collections.
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.
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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.