All the Reasons You Shouldn’t Write

It’s the top of the new year. While you’re still returning gifts and spending those gift cards, I bet writing’s in the back of your mind. And here’s what it’s saying.

You shouldn’t write because:

1. You’re not a “real” writer. This could mean different things depending on your triggers. You may equate real writer, for example, with paid or published writer. Maybe it means being an author or a traditionally published author.
2. You have nothing to write about. Sometimes the belief that we have to write something profound and award-winning can make us feel like what we have to say is unimportant and unworthy of putting it down. Every topic has been written. Every idea published online.
3. You don’t have the time to write. Time is relative. At this moment when most of us are at home, it can be easy to fall into the trap of social media and masterclasses. This leaves us with no time to do the thing we really want to do, which is to write.
4. You’re unqualified. You don’t have a degree or experience. I hear this a lot from writer friends and clients. But this is usually an issue of confidence and years of being told you’re writing isn’t good enough. The truth is the only thing that qualifies you as a writer is that you write something. I’ve spoken to clients with no prior publishing experience and became published authors. It takes, but the wisdom to accept where you are and the courage to step through the unknown and write.
5. It’s just too hard. You don’t know where to start. Writing feels like composing a college entrance essay where there are right and wrongs, and you have no idea where you stand. You’re afraid of feeling judged. And you’re already envisioning a future filled with more anxiety-producing events like author talks and your book read by friends. An easy way to squash those feelings is to never write in the first place.
6. You don’t have the right equipment. To write, you need a pen and paper. People might convince you that you need writing software and books, and subscriptions. You need a library card, a few basic writing classes, and the ability to put words on paper. Everything else can come later.
7. Writing is for people who lived exciting lives. You’re a mom who hasn’t ventured far from home. You dreamed of traveling to Paris, but you’ve never actually been there. Writing comes from imagination mixed in with real life. But not having done anything feels like enough reason to never write anything.
8. Writing is for the wealthy. You actually have bills to pay. You don’t have a partner to rely on and your kids depend on you for a steady job. You know writing won’t make you a millionaire. Writing feels like a luxury you can’t indulge in. This one is hard to get past because it could be true for you. The key, however, is realizing writing can be done in pockets of time. Many writers work full-time jobs and write on the side.
9. No one cares to hear what you have to say. Who wants to hear what you think when there are gazillion authors and experts out there? Why add to the mass of books no one wants? Another easy excuse to write your writing off.
10. You don’t know what you’re doing. This could come in many forms. You got bad feedback in a class once. You’re afraid that writing should feel like math where there is an easy answer. You hear about plotting and the snowflake method and what’s Scrivener anyway? You feel all too green in a world of writers who already know what they’re doing. Intimidation stops you from sitting down at your computer and the TV snags your attention away instead.

Here’s why you should write.

Because you need to. Because the times when you’ve given yourself permission to put pen to paper you’ve felt more alive, present and well than you normally feel. It heals you. Because there’s some part of you down deep inside, maybe from when you were a child, that knew that THIS is what you wanted to do. But you allowed other people to tell you that you were horrible at it.

Writing is the solution to every ache, ailment and heartbreaking moment you’ve experienced.

Writing makes you alive. It gives you hope. It opens doors. It reminds you no matter what you’re going through that you have control over your own story.

Writing is an act of love, faith, and spirituality.

Writing helped me cope with loss, grief, being burglarized on the eve of 2021, and healed me while dealing with lung issues, chronic pain and autoimmune disease.

Writing, if you allow it, will help you see the world in the way you need to see it in order to grow.

So yes, there are dozens of reasons why you shouldn’t write and you and your family will validate every insecurity you have. But the reasons why you SHOULD are life-changing, profound, and have the potential to heal you and your readers.

There it is dear reader so let me ask you, what are you waiting for?