Want to be a Writer? Embrace It!

Morning all, I hope you’ve had a week of smiles and stories.

This week’s blog post is focusing on something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, and something I think other aspiring authors and unpublished writers should think about too.

I’ve always worked full time, I’ve been in marketing for 10 years.  And I’ve spent many years trying to work out what I wanted to do as my career instead. I knew I always wanted to be a careers person, that this was my biggest drive and goal. But I’ve never been able to settle on what exactly I would do. I have a big imagination and huge interest in so many things, and so I would pursue a career only to change my mind very shortly after. I’ve attempted to chase dreams of becoming everything from an archaeologist to a train driver (no joke!). Yet, I’ve never settled on any one thing.

The one constant, the only constant, in my life was writing. I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but I kept it quiet. I knew to be realistic and to focus on another career option for if writing doesn’t work out, and so I continued to write on the side and look for bigger things. But this has changed…

The turning point; “you want to be a writer. Be a writer.”
What a simple moment it was. I lay in bed, beside my fiance, and spoke him through my struggle to focus on a new career, outside of marketing. And he told me, as though it was the simplest thing ever; “you want to be a writer. Be a writer.” And…somehow…it worked. I embraced that I wanted to be a writer. And here’s what happened:

1. I wrote more
I had been quite good at sticking to my writing, but this was like a light switch flicking on in my mind. I started to write every single day, with no exceptions. I focused on my novel, on finishing my drafts and on editing. I feel like I’ve not stopped since and it’s the best feeling.

2. I became more confident
Once I allowed myself to embrace that I wanted to be a writer, I became more confident. When people ask what I do for a living I say, “I work in Marketing, but I want to be a writer.” I speak with confidence about the fact I write novels and that one day I’d like to try and become a published author. And speaking this out loud gives me even more drive to make those dreams come true.

3. I am happier
I no longer feel as though I’m trying to chase dreams I’ve not yet realised. I am happy in my marketing job and no longer disheartened that it may not be the career I want for life. I am happy focusing on my writing, on my goals and finding ways to become a better writer and pursue my dream. I feel like I’ve finally accepted myself for who I am; a storyteller!

4. I am still realistic
It’s easy to get carried away, but it’s important to stay grounded. Realistically, I know how difficult the writing industry is to break into and I know that writers do not typically make fortunes from writing. I am not writing for money, so I am realistic enough to know I will need to keep working, and keep earning money along the way. But being realistic doesn’t mean you can’t be optimistic too. Embrace your dreams, stay grounded, and pursue them with everything you’ve got.

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Have you embraced your desire to be a writer?
Or are you still struggling to admit it so ferociously?
It’s a big step, or at least it was for me, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment or contact me any time.

Until then,
Keep writing,
M
x

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