Write, Just Write

"I wanna be a writer," I said. "What do I do to become a writer?"

"Write," they said.

"Write what?"

"Write, just write."

When I was in grade school I loved to write. Well, maybe not the essays so much. But writing short stories and even poetry was so much fun.

I would have written all day long if they let me.

In high school, I still loved to write. And thankfully, our English teachers still encouraged us to write creatively while teaching us to write in more academic and business-like fashions.

But things change when you hit the real world. I became a programmer. I really enjoyed it and I was good at it. The money wasn't too bad either.

I still wanted to write.

But I didn't.

There wasn't time. I was busy with work, family, church, golf, etc. Life gets in the way. But it was still there in the back of my mind.

I had some opportunities to write with work. Creating software was great, but I also got to create documentation to go with it. And I even had the opportunity to write training material and deliver training courses.

But I never thought of myself as a writer during that time.

A couple decades later, now I'm wanting to write again.

Not fiction. Well, let me rephrase that: not just fiction.

I want to write as a career. Blogging. Copywriting. Teaching. Perhaps even freelancing. In other words, I want to be a writer.

In the new online economy, content is where it's at. Everywhere I turn I see that in order to make an impact (and an income) online I'll need content.

Inviting content.

Engaging content.

Sharable content.

It isn't enough to just put words on the page. I need to have stories that draw people in, make them react and interact. I need to write in a way that allows people to see the knowledge that I have to share. And desire more.

So I'm learning about what it takes to be a writer. Studying other writers. Reading books and web sties on writing. Learning how to write for the internet.

What I've learned so far is that there are two very important steps to follow:

1. Declare it - get rid of the wishy-washy "I want..." Just decide that you are.
2. Do it - get out there and write. And then write. And write some more.

So here I go:

I am a writer!

I will write!