The Right to Write

"My idea of a writer: Someone interested in everything." ~ Susan Sontag, writer, teacher, filmmaker and political activist

Judging by that definition, I should qualify as a writer. Myriad topics occupy my thoughts, my musings, my dreams. However, that's only half of the equation. A writer also has to write. Sending emails or posting comments on Facebook certainly involves the action of writing, but it doesn't always solve anything or change anything. It's a response, a reply, a solicitation or an affirmation. So what does one have to do to really be a writer? Oh, right... just write.

Recently I was asked to decide what it was I thought I wanted to do, or was best suited to do, or was really ready to do. Out of all of my aspirations and inclinations, I decided that I should try to be a writer. A real writer. Now, technically, I'm already a writer, albeit one who hasn't been doing much writing. I've already made a living writing for magazines and newspapers, and I even had to write a one-person show for my Master's thesis (Yeah, I have two degrees - never mind that I've never actually invoked either one of them to get a well-paying job). 

I've also written for myself: journals, greeting cards and this blog. So, there it is: I've been published and some of my best friends are well-known or up-and-coming writers. So why has it taken me so long to own up to being a writer? Do you want the short list?

Fear.
Laziness.
Inability to stay focused long enough to finish a project.
And, oh yeah, being interested in "everything." That leads to lack of focus, which leads to laziness... and then fear isn't far behind.
So I recently decided to take action to see if I could make something happen. This is what I've done so far:

1. Writing something every day (sometimes it's just a few words on a scrap of paper that I put in my gratitude jar).
2. Preparing to enter a writing competition (in the Picture Book category for a children's literature writing contest). I will send it in next week, before the deadline.
3. Joining a writers' group (I did some online research and found a local chapter of SCBWI - the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators).
4. Creating a writers' group (I just created a private group on Facebook inviting a small group of my friends whom I respect and admire, most of whom are writers).
5. Organizing my work/art space and get rid of some of my mountains of clutter (that's slow and tedious, but I'm working on it).
6. Coming up with a plan of action to jump-start a small business (the one I'm working on now would incorporate my writing and mixed-media crafting skills) which means I will have to sit down and come up with a business plan and value proposition, define my target market and then figure out how to make it work. 

Scary stuff, to be sure, but it also feels good to be doing something proactive for myself.

"Whatever will be, will be... The future's not ours to see, Que sera, sera."