I still remember the first time I saw my husband on a skateboard. Years ago, he was still my boyfriend, and one day I drove towards the road he lived on for a visit. As I rolled up to a two-way stop sign in his neighborhood, I saw Jon speed by in front of me — his body fluid, like silver, and as profoundly at-ease in motion as any person I’d seen then (or since) on four, small wheels.
My husband is someone who is born to skateboard. His innate talent is obvious to me every time I see him descend a paved road.
Writers don’t have easy evidence to confirm they are, in fact, “born writers.” Sure, they may etch their agility or expressive brilliance visibly on the page, but the most reliable way to discover if a person is truly “born to write” is by noting how they feel when they are not writing:
- Born Writers ache terribly when they’re not actively writing. They feel dull and never fully themselves. (They’re prone to snapping at their loved ones, too – especially if a loved one asks them when their book will be written and done and published.)
- Born Writers are prone to mournfully staring into space – sometimes late at night when the day has subsided and they’re alone with their truths or a good piece of literature, one that was written by someone else.
- Born Writers who aren’t focused on a specific writing goal often minimize how authentic and necessary their regular writing practice is for them. They give their time away to others. (And they do it with a feeling of relief, sometimes.) “You’d like me to volunteer again? Well, I was supposed to write that day, but…sure. Ok…”
Born Writers who aren’t writing often or well navigate their lives at half-power. Over time, this gap between wanting to be authentic and actually living their purpose just gets worse and worse and worse. Writing envy morphs into numbness or despair. Haunting book ideas cease to poke through the veneer of every day life, until, eventually, writing becomes something “other people” do.
Inside, a Born Writer will ALWAYS know the truth: if you’re born to write and you want to be happy and fully yourself in this life… you’ve GOT to write often, productively and well.
Have you been gambling with your vitality? The answer is yes if you’ve been ignoring, postponing, minimizing or avoiding your writing.
If this is you, how long are you going to stay stuck, dull and unhappy? A writing dream not honored doesn’t just go away. Remember that. Instead it sticks in your soul for as long as you live.
When you’re ready, I’m here to help you. Click this link and tell me what’s going on in your writing life. Let’s talk about how my system can help you become more YOU — by writing well, often and productively again.
