Many people have a romanticised vision of what exactly a writer is.
They think of a writer as someone who writes great poetry that makes them famous like Shakespeare or Keats. Or someone who writes books that sell millions of copies such as Arthur Conan-Doyle or Bryce Courtenay.
They go about their work and daily lives, convinced that they could be a famous writer because they always got top marks in high school – and always got told how wonderfully well their words flowed. And they promise that one day, when they get the chance, they’ll sit down and pen a novel.
I know this is what many people think because once upon a time, I thought the same – I knew I had talent but to me, writing meant becoming famous and sitting at an old wooden desk, churning out page after page on a tiny island in Greece, during a year long sabbatical.
But is that really a writer?
There’s nothing wrong with spending hours working on characters that come to life on the paper, writing tales of their adventures and mishaps.
But I’ve discovered that there are many ways to write that don’t guarantee fame and fortune but still require talent and provide practice as a writer.
Have you ever sat down and read an advertorial in a magazine from start to finish? Or a newspaper article that grabbed your eye, not because of the content but because of the way it dragged you in and held you? Or read a description of a food item that simply made your mouth water?
All of the above were written by writers who take pride in their work and have as much talent as someone who sits down and writes a 500 page book that sells millions of copies.
So I’d like to say this:-
Being a writer is not about your fame or the length of your work – it’s about what you do for your reader. If your reader cannot stop reading, then you should not stop writing.
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