Because I'm A Writer

A month or so ago, I had the idea for a random article. The subject was the evolution of marijuana and how's it's gone from ditch weed to dispensaries. I reached out to a few of my fellow potheads for their insights on the subject and I gathered my own thoughts.

I was having a major issue getting it started though. I came up with a title and the story but I couldn't start it with Once Upon A Time... Okay, I could, but I really didn't want to so I waited. I'd pull my notebook out and I'd try to start and it wouldn't work so I'd tuck the notebook away or write about something else. Then, finally, the block was broken and I wrote a decent article.

I was excited about it. I shared it with my friend that helped with some of the input and I sent it to my husband for him to read. They both thought it was a great read and enjoyed it. I emailed it to my sister-in-law's wife and she really liked it but she asked me why I wrote it. I'm usually all for answering questions, I enjoy talking so it's my cup of tea and I do enjoy tea. However, when that question resonated in my head, all I could think was Because it needed to be written.

So, this writing is to touch base on why I write what I write. The easiest answer to this is simply because if I don't write it, who will? Every person has their own view and their own perspective on every situation and every scenario. Every person has their own voice; both written and vocal. Anyone can write and no two people will ever write the same and that's something that is both amazing and overwhelming.

With so many people thinking that their story is greater than anyone else's, the world is becoming flooded with writers and I love it. I love that so many people are trying to find themselves in words but I think so many people have misconceptions about what a writer does and what it actually is to be a Writer. Anyone can self-publish and become an author... that is not a big deal anymore. Not saying that you shouldn't be proud if you have taken the time to write a whole book, edit it, read it again, revise it, create a cover, do all the work and publish it for yourself... THAT IS AMAZING and THAT DESERVES PRAISE!!!

As harsh as these words may sound: You most likely will not become famous for what you write. No one will know who you are unless they personally know you. It hurts to realize this, trust me. As big as this pill is to swallow; it's better to know this now and have a drink ready than to be blind-sided and choke.

I don't write to become famous. I don't write to make money. I don't even write to publish. I write because it needs to be written and if I don't write it, no-one else will.

I use to think that I would sit down, write a book, send it to a publisher, they would love it, it would get published, I'd become a famous author, and that would be my Happily Ever After. As awesome and amazing as that would be, that is not my reality. I will write my book and I will send it off but I will not bank my future on a book that still sits unwritten.

I will write what needs to be written because I have always been an author and I don't need to write a novel for that to be true. My words won't write themselves and my characters can't exist if I don't make them. The stories I have to share may not make me famous but they do make me a writer and that's what I've always said I was.