On Writing and Writers'

On Writing and Writers':

"I want to be a Writer."

We've all confessed our selfish, silly little sin to the world, via our first grammatically painful poem in grade school, or our first hastily written piece of fanfiction in middleschool. Or maybe you haven't touched a pen creatively until high school; who knows? But any way you got here, you're here now. You are a WRITER.

You don't have to have been published, recognized or even socially to be considered someone who would write, "Just for fun," etc. You don't have to have been in in Drama or Theater Club in High school, you don't have to have been a part of a writers', or poetry club. Maybe that's what makes this profession; or this way of living so appealing to some.

I know that for me, I used to think like that. I as a young girl, and a blossoming high schooler; was under the impression that if I was a creative person--I had to be in those sorts of clubs or activities, fulltime. That if I wasn't immersed in their world, I couldn't call myself anything close to a writer. I'm not sure when this was wired into my brain--maybe the musicals I saw a child, maybe the high-school dramas I was practically force-fed through Disney channel.

Don't get me wrong though--those are some of my favorite memories. Watching my favorite characters agonize over who they were, and what the wrong decisions they'd made meant for their future: somewhere along the way, realizing their mistakes and moving on with a shot of confidence to go forward. ) They taught me a lot about how not to approach people in my daily life.
But they also enforced stigmas of "Creative People" as the "Crazy People", or "Unpopular Ones with the bad hair". I guess my point is; the world is not kind to those who stick out, and who know their difference--with or without it being pointed out. And as writers we will face the same stigma in our daily lives from the people around us.

Granted, they don't really know what they're doing--when they ask you to do something creative for them, like write their life story. (If you haven't yet experienced that question, Don't worry about it ?)

You, as a person may want to fit into a stigma that you can find, and stay there--but if you do, you're missing all of the good things, like communicating with a fellow writer face-to-face or over the internet. Because you won't find your people if you want to wait in your hand-crafted box of a social spot, or a clich It just won't happen. Being a writer is like being inducted into a secret society; you have the password with your pen.

It's elusive and will sometimes confuse you: but ultimately, avoiding that mindset that says we need to be in a particular place; or with certain people is good--even better for us than learning it the hard way. As I said in the beginning, 'You are a WRITER.' Nothing can change that; unless of course you want to give up and start doing something else. But ultimately, If you're truly dedicated to the craft; or even like it just a little bit, you will be inducted into the club for writers, the society for the word-needing people of the world, for life.

And as a writer, you will value that more than anything. (Unless I'm just needlessly emotional about, in which case I'm okay with that ?.) You will find your place in that vast world of writers before you know it: Considering that you're reading something meant for writers in the first place. So, even though it may be a little selfish: you're not out saving lives like a doctor or soldier in the broken wars and battles of the world and medicine; and even though you might look silly to the unknowing eye, as you flounder around raving about the views of your online blog or progressing book among the online community, you are just fully embracing the word and the world that it brings all around you.

You are just, being a WRITER. Don't let someone tell you that you don't meet the requirements: there are none. And don't let someone tell you you're too young--most writers use all or some of the experience they've garnered up to age 15 in the things they write as adults. (I read that somewhere, it did not come out of my own brain :D.) You are never too young to join the growing society of Wordies, and never too inexperienced.

Just know that you'll be learning to refine yourselves from here on out, no matter your age, location or sex.

_JO M.