“You should be a writer,” my husband tells me. “Seriously, you should write a book.”
Then this week, my old friend mentions, “I always thought you would be a writer.”
There are a lot of “shoulds” in life – I should lose that last 10 lbs, I should get caught up on scrapbooking, I should learn to balance my time better, I should reconnect with friendships that I’ve let lapse, and I definitely should be a millionaire (at least I think so!).
And honestly, I have daydreamed about writing the next great American novel, or at the very least a really interesting book that others will want to read. I don’t know what’s holding me back from crossing the bridge from dreamland into reality.
Maybe I’m not sure I really can do it. Maybe I’m afraid of ending up a “1-star” review in Amazon. Or maybe I just haven’t reached the point in my life where I’m willing to relax and let the inside story out. Then again, maybe I’m just lazy.
I listed to a local NPR interview with Garrison Keillor this week. He said (I paraphrase) he’s irritated by writers who publicly complain about how painful it is to put words to paper, saying ‘If it’s so painful, why do it? I don’t want to hear about that. Writing is a job, it’s hard work.’
Alright. I won’t publicly moan that the pain of writing is keeping me from writing. One day, you’ll either see something from me or you won’t.
But, I think I should.
Blogging is writing except much more sophisticated. At least I think so. Write a book. It is actually quite easy. You start at the beginning and when you come to the end you stop.
Darn, wisht that were my sentence there but Alice in Wonderland got it first.
Good luck with your book. Like your Spork Question.
I definitely think you should write, Shannah – maybe you just haven’t found your “AHA!” moment yet that will provide the avenue for your journey.