It took me five years to finally accept that I was going to be a writer. For years it was only a hobby that I enjoyed, but of course I never thought seriously about it. I would write stories that never went anywhere, or get frustrated with them and throw them away. My writing was for my eyes only. It was never encouraged in school and barely any place on the curriculum for it. I had only done one creative writing assignment for English Language, A-Level.
I remember that first piece of writing that I was proud of. It was called ‘Where You Left Me Standing'. It was the first time that I even considered a future in writing. Even then I wasn't sure. There was a cloud surrounding ‘writers' that I couldn’t get past. I was always encouraged to get a ‘proper' job that would pay the bills and keep me feeling safe and secure. All that left me with was a list of careers that, one by one, I was able to cross off. A teacher, a veterinary nurse etc. All a resounding no. I was searching for something that I wasn’t going to find. I’d stay away from pen and paper as if that was a waste of my time.
One day I stopped searching. I was getting tired of all the jobs I ended up hating. I was approached by an author, a poet to be exact, who shone a light on me that opened my mind to the possibility of being a writer, author, poet. They encouraged me to write. Can you believe that is all I needed? Someone to tell me that I could do it. All the advice I had gotten had led to this day. Just write. Write every day. I took there advice and ran with in. I write every day and I work on my craft because I have a passion that I hid for too long.
I can call myself a writer. Not because I’m anywhere near being a famous author/writer but because I write. All you need is the belief in yourself that you can do this. So, what I’m telling you is that I believe you can.
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