ten signs you're ready to begin

When I retired in order to begin all over again as a wannabe writer, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I didn't know if I had any talent for this kind of thing, any hope of success, or the necessary dedication to it. Nevertheless, I put my misgivings aside, summoned whatever courage I could muster, and cleared my desk so I was ready to try.

Since then I have learned that there are certain signs that writing is a person's true passion in life. Is it yours?

In my experience, these are the top ten signs that you, too, may be ready to begin:

• At any one time, you carry at least five pens with you (six to ten is even better). Go ahead. Check your purse or briefcase now.

www.finewritinginstruments.org

• You have enough pens with you but sometimes you forget to carry paper. Therefore sizable chunks of your manuscript are recorded on napkins, on the back of receipts, on used envelopes, and when that fails...on the back of your hand.
• You have perfected the ability to record plot points, dialogue, and gorgeous prose whenever and wherever your muse is kind enough to share it with you...and you can get it down without taking your eyes off the road.
• Sudoku makes you cringe.

www.en.wikipedia.org

• You are reluctant but willing to concede that your laptop/word processor is a convenience, but you will defend the merits of pen and paper to the end. Remember the likes of Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?
• When you're writing, you sometimes make yourself cry.
• Sometimes you make yourself laugh.
• When you read what you've written later on, it happens again.
• You have made peace with the "delete" key.

www.morrissey-solo.com

• "I wasted the whole day," is not part of your vocabulary.
• You make excuses (Oh, all right--you lie) so that you can stay home alone.

Oops. That makes eleven sure signs.

The point is that unless you begin, you will never know what you can accomplish. You will never put your passion to the test, exercise your creativity, or realize your dream. You will never know if you have what it takes, and you will always wonder about it.

When do you plan to begin?

jan