Your Writing Matters

 

“Who am I to write about my thoughts or ideas? I’m not anybody special.”

 

I know of a lot of writers who have battled with these kinds of thoughts, or worse. Their belief is that because they are not popular, wealthy, important, educated, talented or a newsmaker, anything they write won’t have any value. Nobody will care about it, so what’s the point in even writing anything?

 

Anything that you want to write must be written because you are the person to write it. You feel compelled to write something, so write it. Take heed of your muse when you feel that call to write and start putting those words down.

 

You don’t need adoring fans or bestseller status in order to be a writer. Anybody at any age and at any stage of life can be a writer. Everybody has the right to write. Your writing matters because it is YOUR voice and YOUR ideas. You are allowed to share these things and write these things. You don’t need permission. You don’t need validation. All you need is your own confidence in yourself to write.

 

If you just want to write as a hobby, then by all means, go ahead and write as a hobby. Anybody can write as a hobby. There’s nothing wrong with this. You don’t need permission to write stories in your free time or dabble with a novel-in-progress. Go ahead and write to your heart’s content.

 

If, however, your goal is to seek publication of your work, that is fine too. My advice? Go for it! Take those steps to get published. You don’t need to be a famous writer to get published; you just need to be you.

 

When I first started out as a freelance writer, I was intimidated about sending queries to magazines. I was not a writer with many clips under my belt – unless you count the articles I wrote for my local paper. I wasn’t a bestselling author. I didn’t even have a website! (Then again, I got started with freelancing before websites were even in fashion!) I eventually realized that I had to get over this fear and self-doubt if I wanted to get published, I had to put myself out there. So that’s what I did.

 

That’s what you need to do, too. Don’t worry if you’re not published yet or if you’re not a bestselling author. You have to get your start somewhere! The best way to do it is to have faith in your ability to write and your dream of getting published. If you really want to get your work published, then write and submit!

 

Additionally, a lot of editors, as well as readers, are hungry for new voices. They WANT the kind of writing that is different and that stands out. Your writing voice and your writing style are unique, because they are yours. They are not copies of what everybody else has already written. That is your advantage.

 

Not only do you have the advantage of being a fresh, new voice in the writing world, but you also have your own ideas of things to write. And some of those ideas for things to write just might make your work stand out above the rest. Your creativity can help you get that article, short story or novel accepted for publication. What makes yours different is that it comes from YOU.

 

You have every right to write. No matter what happens with your writing or your life or your place in the world, your writing matters. Your writing is important because it’s about your thoughts, your ideas and your experiences. You don’t need to be “somebody special” to be a writer. You only need to be you. You can be a writer if you want to be a writer, but you need to make sure that you’re not just a writer, but also writing.  

 

Finding Strength Through Our Faith: Meditating Heart Offers Christian Poems of Faith and Devotion

Several years ago, I met a woman named Joy. True to her name, she brought joy into my life. Joy lived next door to my grandmother (in Indio, California), and I often visited with her. Since we both wrote poetry, we often shared our poems with each other. Joy wrote beautiful verse, and I was inspired by her enduring faith as a Christian. (At this time in my life, I was a Christian too.) Joy gave me a blank journal and encouraged me to write more poetry in it. I did so – and all of the poems were religious poems. 

 

Sadly, I lost touch with Joy after we moved away and I don’t know what ever happened to her. Yet her presence in my life always touched my heart and I never forgot her. I still have that journal of poems. 

 

Because Joy had such a profound impact in my life, I decided that one day, I would get these poems published as my tribute to her and her faith. 

 

It turned out that the poems did eventually get published, and I saw to it to make that happen. I self-published the poems as an ebook, which I titled Meditating Heart. The title comes from a Bible verse I came across from my daily Bible reading. (The verse is included at the front of the book.) I thought it was a fitting title, since all of the poems came from my heart. Meditating Heart is a free ebook available from Smashwords. 

 

Here is the book’s blurb: 

 

“Take some time to reflect and renew your faith with Christian poetry. Meditating Heart shares poems of devotion, faith and guidance to God and how turning to the Lord can help in troubled times. As we grapple with so much struggle, fear, worry, confusion and pain in this world, our faith can be shaken to the core. We may lose hope or we may start to doubt our faith. Meditating Heart contains poetry and musings which will help you find solace in your faith and renew your closeness to God.” 

 

You can download a free electronic copy of this ebook here