You Are a Writer by Robert J. Daniher

You Are a Writer

by Robert J. Daniher

In my personal writing journey I’ve had the opportunity to meet many authors who have shared their wisdom and advice with me. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming and confusing because every writer has a different approach to their craft. Yet, one piece of advice that has stayed with me from the beginning is from mystery author Alafair Burke, who I had the pleasure of sitting next to at a writer’s dinner in NY some time ago.

As aspiring writers, we can often feel intimidated by the difficulty that this vocation can present. Many of us think that being a writer means we must have a published novel or a bestseller or tons of money from all our publications. If we don’t have those things we’ll say we are trying to be a writer, or that we want to be a writer. Alafair Burke put this into perspective for me. She said the important thing to remember is, “If you wrote today or in the last week, you are a writer. You might not be published yet…but it’s about the dedication to the craft.” She went on to say that we should all respect where we are in that journey no matter what stage we are at.

Being a writer is not about some exclusive club that only other people are allowed to join. It’s about putting your butt in the chair and writing every day. So, if you’ve written today, congratulate yourself - because you’re already on the journey and you are a writer.

Check out one of Alafair’s books here at the library. They’re great!

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Thanks, as always, to our guest blogger, New Jersey author Bob Daniher. His words of encouragement to writers everywhere are always welcome. - Anne
Bob's other posts can be found here.