Why Being a Writer is Incredibly Brave

From Writerslife. org:

It’s sometimes easy to forget how incredibly brave it is to choose to be a writer. We can get so caught up in the negativity and worry - the writer’s block, the rejection, how much competition there is, how difficult it is to sell our books, that we can all too easily sidestep the fact that actually, we are doing something pretty amazing.

Writers are:

Resilient

Writers are experts at ‘getting back in the saddle.’ Even the very best of us gets knocked down - by publishers, by agents, by critics, by trolls, by ourselves. But when we do we know that there is no point in scurrying away to a dark corner to lick our wounds but instead to learn, to get better and to just keep trying.

Persistent

Writers know all too well that they might never get the results they want from their work. But they keep trying anyway. If something doesn’t work, they’ll take another look at it or try another route. If someone tells them they are not good enough, they’ll keep searching, and hope that eventually, they will get their chance to shine.

Passionate

Writers are passionate about what they do. Even when it’s tough, and they are unsure of themselves, they remain committed to their writing, find time for their writing and always remember that they love what they do.

Fearless

Writers are fearless, courageous and brave. They are willing to explore their deepest emotions, to battle their demons to be vulnerable in ways that most people would shudder at.

Experimental

Writers don’t mind trying new things, in fact, they embrace it. They are happy to give new styles, new techniques, new genres, new voices all a go, and they’ll try their best. They know that trial and error, being open to learning and not afraid to try new things could make them a better writer, so they will always try to gain as many experiences and experiment in as many ways as possible.

Problem solvers

Writers face many obstacles in their journey, time and time again. There are always hurdles to climb over, but they don’t shy away from problems or give up, they instead work out how to solve their  problems, how to make things work, and keep going no matter what.

Patient

Writers have incredible patience. Whether it’s waiting to hear back from a publisher, the patience and resolve it takes to write and edit a book in the first place, or just the patience and quiet belief they have inside themselves to keep on writing.

Followers of dreams

How many people can say they truly follow their dreams? Writers can and should be so proud of themselves for making it happen. Who cares about fame and fortune when you are taking that risk to do what you love?

Saying, “I am a writer,” and truly believing in it is scary, but also liberating and genuinely courageous. So next time you have a day where you feel your writing isn’t going well, or the next time you get a rejection or a bad review or have those niggling self-doubts, read this and remember just how brave you are!

I agree. Some people I know whom I told I was writing my memoir said they themselves could never write a book. They seem to be thinking something along the lines of what this article says. I think it was brave of me to being a memoir. It took a lot of thinking about what  I felt was necessary to include and how much detail I needed to give. It started out small, but got to what seems to be a typical number or words for such a genre. So many of those I have read seem to be in the 80K word range.  It's been some time since I last looked over my memoir, but I am trying not to add anymore. There are some things I remember that I think I could add, but am trying not to. There is so much I can recall, but I do not have to include it all.

I also feel I was brave to have started another writing. For many years, I have had ideas for writing that I never got down. But now I'm doing one such idea. The idea of a diary novel and that of a book set in the 1980s only recently occurred to me, but there is an element to the plot that I have thought of trying to write about and am now doing so. I haven't worked much on this one lately, either, but I intend to get back soon.