To you who write

I would like to begin this post by first saying, I don't know who you are. I don't know where you are in life, what you look like, or what your reality is in the writing world. Maybe you write in your spare time and your work is only shown to a handful of individuals. Perhaps you write for a living and the act of writing is part of your daily life that tons of people get to see. Maybe you love to read and, every now and then, try your hand at storytelling. You might be the person who writes in utter privacy because you were told that those who write stories are foolish dreamers, so you've never worked up the courage show anyone. Regardless of where you are in your journey, if you give any time at all to the craft of writing fiction, I want you to know that what you have to say is important. I say this to you not as someone obliged to make you feel better about your little writing thing, but as a fellow writer who believes as fervently in the worth of your stories as I believe in my own.

We live in a world where success is measured by currency, by power, by material possessions. Our worth is constantly being measured by how well we can sell, produce, and maintain and this sad reality of our time, is inexplicably damaging to the fiction writer's soul. I could spend pages and pages writing about how this world is bad for writers but I'd rather use my bitty platform to encourage you who write. Whether your write for yourself or for an audience, you have chosen to embrace this quirky and often misunderstood craft. For some of you, writing stories is a hobby and for some it may be a means of surviving an otherwise creativity-devoid existence. You may study writing at school or only in books. You may have writer friends or you may have chosen to weather the joys and sorrows of writing alone. Wherever you happen to find yourself on this journey, may I exhort you to write what is on your soul? Don't let that fire be extinguished by self-doubt or naysayers or anything else. What you have to say is important and whether it takes you one day or a hundred years to unleash your story, it can only be written by you. You have a voice that belongs only to you. There are hundreds of other voices that would love to tell you that this pursuit is unworthy and dying, but I say be brave.

Be brave and write what is on your heart.

Be smart and learn the elements of craft so that you can create sharp work.

Be bold in your choices. Always take the opportunity to defy expectations and create new norms in your stories.

Take heart. You're not the only storyteller here, and that should be a comfort, to know that there are many of us who share your hardships and would also love to share your victories.

To you who write, this blog is for you. I'm just one writer in one part of the world with one set of stories that I'm dying to get out. I want to talk about craft and inspiration and other great writers' stories. I want to set both of our hearts ablaze with a fervor for our writing and courage to say the hard things. I hope you'll be inspired and stay a while.  

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