Friday, December 21, 2007

Am I Really Still Considered A Writer?

It is never too late to be what you might have been. ~George Elliot


ACK! I've been busy. I'm a mom, a mom that does a lot of volunteer work, runs the household, reads and reviews books, likes to spend as much time with her kids as possible, and yet, a mom who likes to find some time to write.

The last part, the writing part, is my topic for today. It's generally understood that to be considered a writer, well, you must write. How much, though, do you have to write to actually call yourself a writer? I've managed to log less than 3,000 words this past two weeks. Piddly, isn't it? But I logged words. And granted, at that rate, I'll finish my current WIP in the year 2020, but I'll finish it, nonetheless.

The way I see it, a person doesn't have to write every day to accomplish goals. I may have started this WIP months ago, and still have months of writing to do, but so what? Like my quote today, it's never going to be too late for me or my WIP to be what we could be.

Don't be hard on yourself if you write slowly. If you take the time to enjoy life with your family, to talk to friends, to volunteer and do some good. Because I'll tell you something, writing is hard work, and without everything else in your life to make it worthwhile, well, then, is it going to be worth it?

Not for me it won't. I get some of my best ideas for scenes when I'm not at the computer. When I'm simply living. If I am known for my writing, I'd rather hear them say, "Damn, she sure is one hell of a slow writer, but those books are always worth the wait!"

If I'm never known by anyone but family by writing, well, that's OK too. Because my kids will see that even though it was tough some days for me to squeeze in just 10 minutes on my WIP, I did it, because it was a passion. It was something I loved. It was worth the effort. So that they too, will do whatever it is in their lives that is a passion and they will do it with the fortitude and spirit in which their momma did her passion.

Yes, if you write, even once a month, you are a writer. For being a writer is not how many words that get put on the page and how fast. No, being a writer is baser, it's what's in your soul and the mere fact that you try.

Take Care