(So, this is going to be a little talk to myself in blog format. You’re welcome to listen in if you want too, though I warn you that it might get a little interesting! 🙂 )

When you finish writing one book, when the research is done and the edits are complete, what do you do? Yes, publishing it might be the obvious next step. But, as I heard one great author say, take a deep breath, stand up, sit down again, take another deep breath and start another book. I am paraphrasing of course, but it really stuck with me. I think that that statement goes more to the heart of what it means to be a writer.

Getting the words out and on paper is what really matters. I won’t say that quantity is better than quality. Both are important. But, practice hones your skills and disciplined creativity finds a path no matter what. I am not one to hold up a yardstick and tell you that to write you must do x, y, and z and you must write this and this much (or even this long) every day. But, I do know that creativity goes hand and hand with self-discipline.

And that can be hard. I know that there are days that I have dreaded sitting down at my computer to write, but once I did, I never regretted it. My writing might go only half as fast as a snail’s pace, but it is still writing!
And then there have been times, when I have been so busy with work or family or other things that I could almost feel my creative side begging for me to sit  down, (please!), and just type a few sentences.

To become an author, you must be a writer. To be a writer, you have to have self-discipline, passion, curiosity and drive. That is my list at least.

Don’t worry if you feel that it is the worst piece of writing in the world, keep at it. Even if no one ever sees what you write, tell the stories to yourself! Not everyone will become a best-selling author, but if you are a writer, you shouldn’t let that stop you. Write because you love it and because you must keep creating and this IS the way that you do it best. Who knows where it might lead you?

What is a writer or an author after all, but a temporary container for someone’s best loved novel, bed time story or inspirational quote?