The #1 thing writing has taught me

When I decided to finally relent to my passion and begin writing “for real” a number of years ago, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself in to. 

Sure I loved to write. 

Of course I wanted to complete a whole novel. 

You bet I wanted to publish that same book and start the process all over again. 

The whole idea was exciting. 

But at the time that’s all it was…an idea.

And then the work began. I wrote and read and researched and wrote some more. I began to blog. I went back to my book and continued to add to the story. I researched areas where I needed to learn and I continued to spend time with my new friends, the characters. Eventually, and miraculously, a book appeared…out of the mist of my imagination, a story emerged with characters I enjoyed meeting as each made themselves known to me. 

I thought writing a book would be hard.  But that turned out to be the easy part.  

Honestly, one of the most surprising aspects of writing is that drafting the first draft of the story is not the hardest part of writing. All you need to write a book is an imagination, a computer, or pen and paper, and a chair to sit in. Write what comes to you, what the characters tell you and what your imagination shares with you. The real work begins after you write that first draft, with edits, revisions, re-writing, formatting, cover art, sales and marketing.

Writing a novel is difficult, but it’s also enjoyable and rewarding. Any project that takes up so much of your time has to change you in some way, or give you an opportunity to learn more about yourself. So what has this process taught me?  

Not what you might think…

Here’s what I already knew:

That I was determined.

I have a good imagination.

I’m full of creativity.

Admittedly, I’m stubborn, especially when I make up my mind (it’s in my DNA).

I’m organized…yes, even if my desk is buried in piles, I know where everything is.

And I’m detail oriented, and probably have been since the day I was born.

What writing has actually taught me is this…

I may not have fully believed in my abilities when I decided to start writing my novel, but eventually I learned I already had all the traits necessary to begin this journey. Without those traits already in place, I doubt I would have been able to get to this point at all. The bonus for me is that this journey has shown me I also have patience (most days) and perseverance (hugely important).  

Writing has let me utilize the traits I already had and it has helped me strengthen the traits I needed to improve. While I will always have much to learn, as the business of writing is a moving target, I can continue with the knowledge that there is also much more to gain. This, in turn, gives me so much more to look forward to.

What about you? Do you have the traits necessary to tackle something you’ve been putting off for one reason or another? Lay your doubts aside because you probably have what it takes to start and you can always improve on what needs work. Don’t be afraid to fail…be afraid of what you’ll miss out on if you don’t even try. Start your passion project today!