Writing is a tough business at times. It is hard work, financially crippling, and a path filled with self-doubt. Writers often complain of low incomes, and lack of support. Not to mention non-existent critical acclaim.
All these things are true, of course, but let’s also not forget how much fun writing is. Putting the negatives aside for a minute, let’s just remind ourselves why writing (whether [as, not for] a hobby or a career) is the best thing in the world, ever!
- You’re always getting better
Sure, there are moments of despair and self-doubt, plus the dreaded writer’s block to contend with, but getting better at writing is almost guaranteed. Look back on anything you have written in the past, whether it was six years ago or six months, and you will see the improvement. Writers are always getting better, it is just what we do! And part of the reason for that is that we are never quite satisfied with what has gone before, so we keep trying, keep striving for better. The other reason is that as time continues to pass, we live more, travel more, learn more, read more, and all of that helps improve our writing.
- Inspiration is everywhere
Life is never boring or dull when you have a writer’s imagination. You see the meaning and the potential in everything, so there is simply no such thing as a boring moment, or mundane event. Litter on the ground. Who dropped it and when? Where did they go? Footprints in the mud. What sort of person left them behind? Birds on a wire. What secret lives to they live, untouched by ours? Gossip on the train. Use it for dialogue or to create or develop characters. Good writers will find inspiration for stories everywhere, at any moment, and this really is an exciting way to exist! - Nothing is wasted, especially not negativity
If you are a writer, then you have a special gift when it comes to dealing with pain, tragedy and disappointment. You can use it. You can recycle it. You can write about. Soak it up, allow it in, welcome it and use it. So, in that vein, nothing is ever really negative, at least not for long. Take that heavy feeling in your gut and give it to a character, then give them a reason why it exists. Think about those tears in your eyes, the way they sting, the way your throat feels when you try to hold it in. Give those emotions to your story, to someone in it. Use whatever pain you have experienced in your life to make your writing even better. Readers want to be made to feel things, and they want to believe the emotion in a book is raw and genuine. For this reason, negative experiences and emotions can sometimes be quite a useful tool for writers.
- Characters let you live out fantasies
Now it could be something as wild and unusual as living on another planet among a futuristic gang of feral humans, or it could be something more ordinary, such as projecting rage onto a character, making them say what you always wanted to say. Anything you are annoyed about in real life, whether it happened in the past or right now, can be lived out in any satisfying way you choose in your writing. Someone keeps dumping litter in your favorite beauty spot? You’d like to collect it all up, find out where they live and dump it on their doorstep. You’d like to teach them a lesson and tell them a thing or two. You might not ever do it in real life, but you can create a character to do it for you! Got a really rude, obnoxious relative or neighbor? You would love to tell them what you really think of them and slam the door in their face, but you can’t. You can make a character do it though! And my, what a satisfying experience it is too…
5. You are never alone
When I was a child I didn’t know what loneliness was. If I had no one to play with, then I went to my room to write stories. If I couldn’t do that, then I made them up in my head. When I couldn’t sleep at night, instead of lying there feeling lonely, I just created characters and listened to them talk. As a writer these characters will be with you forever, and as mad as it sounds, they do become your friends. Who says grown-ups can’t have imaginary friends? Writers can!
- You will never be bored
As a writer, I don’t know what boredom is. If there is free time, then it’s writing time. If writing can’t be done, then I’m thinking about it, plotting it, listening to dialogue, watching characters develop, letting them talk and converse with each other. In my opinion, there is simply not enough time in my life to get all the writing done that’s in my head, so boredom is an alien concept. There is always something to do.
- You have power over people
And I don’t just mean your characters, I mean readers. Think about it. One way or another, people are going to react to your words. Maybe they hate them, maybe they love them, maybe they are somewhere in the middle, but either way they are going to be thinking about it, they are going to be affected. Words you write, words you have dreamed up, imagined, and then put together on a page, are going to make someone laugh, cry or get angry. They are going to be feeling something, that much is inevitable and amazing.
- Your words could change the world. Or at least the world for one person…
Yes, given the right amount of talent and luck, your words really could be this powerful. Think for a moment about the books that have influenced you, and then think about books that have influenced the world and changed accepted ways of thinking. To Kill A Mockingbird, Why The Caged Bird Sings, do this all the time, it is why they are so powerful and dangerous to those who want to maintain the status quo. But sometimes it is simpler than that. Ask any avid reader what their favourite book is and why, and they will undoubtedly have one or two that pop straight into their head, and usually this is because it changed them. Who says your book isn’t going to do that for someone?
Chantelle Atkins was born and raised in Dorset, England and still resides there now with her husband, four children and multiple pets. She is addicted to both reading and music, and is on a mission to become as self-sufficient as possible. She writes for both the young adult and adult genres. Her fiction is described as gritty, edgy and compelling. Her books include The Mess Of Me, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side, This Is Nowhere and This Is The Day. You can learn more on her Facebook page.
