Every time I tell people I’m an author, I always get the same reaction. “You’re an author? What is your book about?” they say in surprise, almost disbelief. I patiently explain that yes, I am a writer and that my book is a fantasy adventure. Then, a lot of people say, “Oh, well. I’ve always wanted to write a book, too. Maybe I could write something and show it to you?”
The phenomenon of writing is an interesting one. From what I’ve seen, everyone I talk to wants to be a writer, but only a small fraction actually do it. Why is that? Well, first off, I think I catch people off guard when I mention my book. I’ve always looked young for my age, so people can’t believe someone as young as me wrote a book. Second, they’re trying to make conversation. They want to relate to me, so they tell me they want to write as well.
Third, and most importantly, many people are afraid of creative writing. You have to have a thick skin when you write. I’ve had countless people tell me that they don’t like my stories and that’s okay. I can’t please everyone. If someone doesn’t like fantasy, there’s not much I can do about it. I have to write what I like and appeal to a like-minded audience. Not everyone can handle that, though. They want validation and for everyone to say how great they are, but they’re too afraid to try. You could have the best story idea ever, but if you don’t implement it properly, then the results could be lackluster. They don’t want to take the risk that the perfect story in their heads turns out to be less than perfect on the page. The fact that I’m willing to take that risk everyday impresses them and they ask me to read their work, thinking that I’ll be gentle on them. Nobody has ever shown me their work, by the way.
So, what can people do if they want to write, but are too afraid? Simple. Admit that there is no sure thing as perfect writing. There are things I don’t like even in my favorite books. I just skip those scenes and move on. In other books, I like one scene, but dislike everything else about it. You can’t please everyone. The only person you can please is yourself. My advice to anyone who wants to be an author is to just write. My early drafts were all awful. I look back sometimes and cringe at how bad they are. But I kept going. I honed my craft. The only way to become a better writer is to write.
Maybe the phenomenon of writing isn’t as strange as I thought. We all have ideas bubbling inside of us. For some, the easier way to express those ideas is by writing. We just have to be brave enough to take the plunge and start. Who knows what books are waiting to be written, if only you’ll give yourself the chance.