Reasons Not to Write

I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I had posted here. My off-line life has been rather busy lately!

A friend of mine let me borrow her copy of God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours (a great book, by the way!). I especially appreciated Lesson 18 "A Writer Is Someone Who Writes. If You Want to Be a Writer, Write."

Regina Brett writes, "People are always asking me how to be a writer. I don't know, but here's how not to be one. Watch hours of mindless TV. Check your e-mail. Instant message your friends. Visit a chat room of writers. Answer the phone every time it rings. . . Agonize over whether to use colons or semicolons. . . Get your doctorate in creative writing first. Start therapy. Find the right writers' group. . . Strive for perfection. . . Talk about your ideas so much even you lose interest . . .Wait until your children stop teething, finish soccer season, and go off to college. Wait until you have two hours of uninterrupted time to write. . . Wait until you find your muse. Wait until you feel inspired. Wait until a doctor says you've got six months to live. Then die with your words still inside of you."

If you want to be a writer, write. It is as simple, and as complicated, as that.

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