Whenever I meet people and tell them I’m a writer, the most common reaction is to tell me that they wanted to become a writer or at least write something. But they would add that they do not have the time or they feel they don’t have what it takes. These types of people I believe are making polite small talk--to boost my ego and make me think that I am an artist that they can never be. Often I would respond by encouraging them, that they should commit if they want to get it done. I get a smile or shrug that puts an end to the conversation. 

Then some equate writing with fame and fortune as if the book that they would write is going to give Stephen King or J.K. Rowling a run for their money. For the writer-in-the-making with such great expectations, any experienced writer will tell you that such delusions of grandeur are like trying to reach the moon. Not that it’s impossible, but the chances of fame and fortune in writing is one in a million. The element of luck plays a role, and realistic writers do not expect fame and wealth.

Then we have people who feel compelled to write because they believe they have something to share. Whether or not they get published is not important. For those who have money to burn, they consider vanity or self-publishing. Marketing their book or giving just a few copies to their friends and families is an option.

Finally, we have people who want to write but do not have the skills to put words onto paper. Yet their desire to tell a story burns with intensity. They hire ghostwriters to write for them. On account that everyone has a story to tell, yet not everyone has the skill for writing, this is understandable. They are willing to spill as many secrets as they can to their ghostwriter, and in a way this becomes therapeutic.

But for the most part, those who truly set out to write are also avid readers. Reading and writing walk hand in hand. Any writer, from his formative years up to the present run of his vocation, is a student to other writers. I have yet to meet a writer who says, “I never read other writers.” Reading other writers is a type of apprenticeship. Try reading everything that you can get your hands on--the good ones and the bad ones. The good ones will show you how it’s done. The bad ones will show you what pitfalls to avoid. 

Going back to those who keep saying that they plan to sit down one day and get that book out of their heads, I say it will never happen unless they make the resolve to sit down and start writing. It will not be easy, and they should never set ridiculous goals for themselves. If they set the commitment to write for twenty days, then they have formed a writing habit. It takes twenty days to form a habit. Word count doesn’t matter, as long as they have set something on paper. 

So are you going to talk about your plans for writing, or are you going to sit down and get to work?