The Art of Writing

For the past five to seven years of my life, probably more (I've lost count) I have wanted to be a writer.  Over the course of these years I have found myself wondering how one becomes a writer. Of course, they write. They sit at a desk, or on their bed, wherever they feel most comfortable and they write. Some writers work better on the computer while others prefer to write longhand. I, for one, am a mixture of the two.

Yet, how does one truly become a writer? For, surely not everyone who writes is a writer. If one does not feel moved, sometimes to tears, by the power of the stories entrusted to them, in my opinion they are not writers. Any fool can sit down and write. Only a true artist manipulates words, weaving them so that real characters and real emotionas surface onto the page.  Does Stephanie Meyer do this? Don't make me laugh. "Edward is dreamy" and "Edward is sexy" does not count as good writing.

Jane Austen, Harper Lee, Leo Tolstoy, J.K Rowling, Ray Bradbury. These are good, if not great, writers.  When I first read Jane Austen, I wanted to share it with my friends. The pure beauty of the words on the page captivated me. There are few authors who can achieve such power, such emotional intensity in a reader's response.

Writing is a craft that gets better through time and practice. I cannot say that I have always been a great writer. However, I can say that I have always had passion.