Musings #6: What Makes You Think You Are A Writer?
When I first revived this blog back in January, I listed ten things that I thought made me a writer. There are a lot of voices and imagery in my head and it seems a rare thing that I am not thinking of something or concentrating on getting the things in my head out in some way. There is also that other voice that seems to come along with all of that thinking — the negative voice that constantly asks me what the hell I am thinking, and insists that whatever comes out of me is horrible drivel of the worst kind. What is this mess? It sucks! I don’t know if what that voice says is true. Maybe I have lost my mind and maybe I am as bad at prose as William Pratt is at poetry.
This is ALL of what I wrote in my teens and early 20s by hand. Earliest date at quick glance 1990, but I know tucked in there is some older material.
Above is my magazine rack of stories. It has been with me through six moves throughout my life. If I lost it, I think I would feel crushed even though what is in there is likely terribly juvenile prose and poetry. I couldn’t stop writing. I had a very prominent writer’s callous. There are a few pages in there that were typed on a manual typewriter (that means no electricity kids and you sometimes got your fingers stuck between the keys. No such thing as spell check or delete — if you made a mistake you had to break out the correction tape –and hope you could find your place again.) The yellow 3-subject notebook in there is one story that is 194 hand written pages long. The pink one next to it was the beginnings of a rewrite I began the first or second year I was in college before I stopped writing stories due to class work load. I didn’t even have time for pleasure reading.
Summer 1990, page 194
This is not something I talk to people about because it can seem kind of crazy to always be imagining dialogue in your head between characters that don’t exist. What would they say in this scenario? How about in a different setting? Pause. Rewind. Edit. Action!
I do not know if I am a good writer, or even adequate, I just know that I have always been a writer from the first moment I understood what I was reading. I never even really stopped writing entirely, I just stopped writing fiction and focused my attention to other kinds of writing whether it was for school or ramblings on bulletin boards or playing on MOOs, MUDs, or MUCKs back in the day.
The stories are ever swirling in my head; never quiet.
8 comments on “Musings #6: What Makes You Think You Are A Writer?”
Leave a Reply
E-mail Subscribe and Support
My Reviews
Email Subscribe and Support
Shop With Me!
Shop and Read My Reviews
Aspiring writer, wife, mother of two, owner two cats. Teacher, lover of science, books, science fiction, fantasy, and video games.
Top Posts & Pages
Visit My Fellowship
Laissez Faire 
Ohh I’m falling in love with your blog.
Just linked myself to your ten things post – I had a lot of the same things that made me think I was destined to be a writer. Even though I don’t think I’m all that good at it.
I did the same thing as you though, I tried to read Atlas Shrugged at the age of 14. Didn’t work out well – I didn’t understand most of it!
LikeLike
Ayn Rand is pretty heave stuff. I am not sure I understand all of it at this late age. LOL
LikeLike
My mom is a voracious reader and her favourite author is Ayn Rand. I had to keep up with her. So I’ve read all her smaller books – like Anthem and the one about how it’s okay to be selfish. I haven’t picked up atlas again though.. maybe one day!
LikeLike
Pingback: Musings #7: Getting In Touch With The Me | Laissez Faire
This was great to read. Thanks for sharing your passion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 🙂
LikeLike
I am a writer because I cannot be anything but a writer. Might not make sense to some, but…
LikeLiked by 1 person
…it doesn’t have to. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
LikeLike