Many Dream, Few Do

I’ve been around writers for a long time. I’ve met literally thousands of folks who have a desire to become published authors. Interestingly, I’ve met few who actually do. When I was new to the world of authors, I passed it off as extreme competition. After all, there are only so many books that pub houses can send to press in any budget year. Not many manuscripts will be published compared to all the writers out there creating them.

Closer investigation revealed that wasn’t the case with most writers. I discovered many of these writers never actually wrote. They didn’t go through the process of constructing a story, building a plot, sitting with butt in a chair and hammering out word count, rewriting and editing.

In short, many dream, few do.

Through the Storm

I read something this week that gave me pause:

Your greatest test is when you are able to bless someone else while you are going through your own storm.

I pondered that for quite some time. It permeated my heart because life has wonderful moments of peace, joy and rapture sandwiched between the storms of life. It’s easy to get caught up in the trial of the moment and miss out on the blessing of reaching out to help another human being in need.

Or even worse, instead of reaching out, you could lash out at others when they share their teenie tiny little challenge with you. Doesn’t it always seem that right at the second you get the fortieth rejection letter, your crit partner calls and fusses because they only got a four book deal when they just knew they’d get six?!

Heart of a Writer

Let’s face it. You’re cut from a different cloth. You see the world through a strange set of eyes. You look for ways to murder people and get away with it and talk about it with friends in a crowded restaurant. You routinely express both sides of a conversation… with yourself… OUT LOUD!

Behind all that bizarre behavior is the catalyst of what makes you who you are and compels you to do what you do. It’s the heart of a writer. And it lives inside you.

The heart of a writer is unique in many ways. Here are a few:

Finding Your Sweet Spot

I played competitive tennis in high school and college. I quickly learned that if I positioned my racket to connect with the ball in a certain spot, I could put the ball wherever I wanted. It’s known as the sweet spot.

I’d like to encourage you to apply the concept of the sweet spot to your writing because everything has one. Here are a few things I learned about the sweet spot from a tennis racket.