I’ve lost count of how many people ask me when I started writing or how I knew I was supposed to write. Those two questions always make me uncomfortable. You see, I didn’t start my early life aspiring to be an author as so many have done. I think I was more surprised than anyone when I wrote my first book.
Since my early years weren’t consumed by a need to write the next great novel, I thought I wasn’t a writer. That, I’ve found, is not true. In looking back over my life, I realized I always had a passion for storytelling. I wrote songs, poetry, and essays. I made up stories and told them as if they were real. And, people believed the stories until I told them they weren’t true. (Yes, I was somewhat of a practical joker, too.)
So, to answer the question posed in the subject line, my thoughts are:
- If you feel a need to tell stories or to write poetry about events in your life, you’re a writer.
- If you feel lighter when you journal about your day, you’re a writer.
- If you daydream about a more beautiful world or a worse one and want to share those thoughts with others – you may be a writer.
- The most telling answer is this: Non-writers don’t ask themselves, “How Do I Know I’m a Writer?”
Yes, you are a writer!
Until Next Time,