I Am Becoming A Writer

Emotion is my shaman, and I’m on a helluva trip.

Photo by Joshua Newton on Unsplash

I got a rather profound email today from Shaunta Grimes.

The subject was “Lesson 1 — The very first step to becoming a writer.”

Now there are a lot of tutorials on this platform, but hers is one of the best. Because it’s not just about the mechanics of things. It’s about the heart and soul PLUS the mechanics. It’s about the process.

I have known I was a writer since 4th grade. I love words. They are my sacrament. They are the fire upon which I walk. But becoming a writer that achieves her life-goals is different from just loving to write.

How?

Read on.

The Way I Used To Write

I used to write just to flex the muscles of my brain. I write for whoever would pay me.

I wrote because it was easy, fun, and in demand.

I wrote for clients, customers, and search engines.

I wrote copy, content, documentation, and whatever else was needed in the moment.

But it took the painful and potent combination of aging, parenting, and Medium to help me begin to crystallize my real work as a writer.