So you want to write

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OK, so how many new writers are out there? More importantly, what are your perceptions on being a writer? And for the most essential question – can you write?

Many believe all you have to do is sit down and write. Then someone will miraculously pay to read what you have written. In a perfect world…, yes, maybe. In the real world, this scenario is about as far from the truth as you can get.

Let’s investigate the question in the first paragraph. Can you write?

I have talked with high school students and graduates, college graduates, and graduate students all of whom thought they could write. Additionally, I read what they were writing and, well, some can, some can’t.

How do you learn to write? Did you pay attention in your English courses? Do you understand the basics of sentence construction? Do you know how to use adverbs and adjectives? Can you answer the question, what is a verb? How is your spelling? Can you place punctuation properly? Do know what alliteration is and how to use it well? What is personification?

Yes, these are some of the very basic questions about writing, but being able to construct a sentence is of little consequence if you are unable to think analytically and logically. This is the crux of the writing business – getting your ideas across to others in a way they can understand exactly what you are trying to convey.

There is also another important aspect of writing: being able to tell the story. I remember when I thought of becoming a writer. I was in the second grade, still learning how to read.

I was reading a children’s book actually illustrated by my uncle, James Caraway. I can remember holding the book in the hallway of our house and talking to my mother about writing.

“Mom, do the people who write these books make money?”

My mother looked at me and with all her wisdom said, “No, not really.” Later, after I developed researching skills, I would discover there was a lot of truth to what she said. I would also think, Mom didn’t tell me the whole truth…

Actually, my mother did not know the truth and the truth lies somewhere between not making any money and pulling in $37 million dollars a year. It all boils down to how well you write, how well you promote, and how well the public accepts your ideas and writings.

One important thing to bear in mind about working as a writer is this: it is some of the hardest work one can engage in. It is lonely, it is laborious, it seems to never end.

Oh, yes, and did I also say it is rewarding? It is – beyond anything you can imagine.

jC