Hey you, yes you, you with the awesomeness brewing inside ya. Did you know that everyone has stories inside of ’em, stories—plural, not one, but many—didja? Yeah, it’s true. You have endless stories in ya, endless. Know what do with em? Well, do ya? You write ’em. Because believe it or not, there are stories only YOU can write.
Only YOU can write your stories. <If you read that in Smokey the Bear’s voice, great. If you’re wondering who that is, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you poor thing.
But it’s true. There are stories only you can create and bring into this world. It’s not about the skill, the talent, or even the marketability of it, it’s about lending your voice to a story only you can think up. It’s about leaving behind a story only you can make up. It’s about leaving a part of you behind, on paper, and in people’s minds and hearts. Think you can do that? I think you can.
It’s not a competition, remember that. You’re not in a race against every other author out there, traditionally publisher, or indie. It’s about you, and you alone. It’s about you and your stories. It’s about you writing what only you can. The truth is that there will always be better authors, heck, who am I—right? I’m just somebody that nobody really reads. But…I’m going to keep writing and telling the stories I want—the stories I need to—the ones I can. And you just need to do the same, and you can.
The world if filled with talented and skilled authors, maybe will be better than us, so what? They cannot—not now—not ever—tell the stories you or I can. I can’t tell yours, you can’t tell mine, and all the way around. That’s what makes writing special. It’s different for every person, because we all have different voices that can and will lead to wholly different stories. It’s a singularly unique thing—writing, remember that.
And remember this, that you are the only you. It’s true, nobody else can be you. Nobody else can write what you can. If you keep at it long enough, you’ll find your voice, and build a career out of it. If that’s what you’re looking for of course.
