Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’
And don’t we know this as writers! Becoming a writer has been the most frustrating and yet most fulfilling job I have ever taken on. Six years in, I’m still as mystified as ever.
We most certainly don’t do this for the money or notoriety. It is a profession spent sitting alone with your thoughts and your pen (or computer) ready, wondering what you will do next. Will this be the most important idea you have ever had? Or will it just be another day of trial and error?
And that is where the courage comes in! Do you have the courage to call yourself a writer? And if you do, how will you prove to yourself and the world that this is your true calling? Who is your audience, and how will you know them?
All of this is further complicated by the ever-changing world in which we live. Sometimes this feels like trying to hit a moving target! There is a revolution going on in the world of writing and publishing right now, and traditional publishers are scared. No one knows what the future of writing and publishing will be ten years from now, so we keep trying this and that.
Will blogs become the magazines of the future? Will writing ever pay enough to live on except for the fortunate few? Is self-publishing the future? Will e-books overtake traditional book publishing as the chosen format of the new reading public?
I have dealt with this uncertainty by simply choosing what I think the future will sustain and going for it. I could well be wrong, but I find blogging and writing books to be quite fulfilling. This lifestyle works for me, perhaps because I was born to be entrepreneurial.
If I can create a life where I never have to work for someone else again, while doing what I love, I will call myself quite fortunate, and consider my life a success.
Please let me know if I can assist you in pursuing your writing dreams!
