It Takes Commitment and Time to Become an Author
Becoming an author is not difficult, but it requires something we call commitment. Commitment to what, you ask? Commitment to yourself. You’ve got to make the commitment to yourself to do this, to do what you need to do to become an author. An author is not made without work, without time, without COMMITMENT.
What About That Word….Commitment?
Commitment….it’s a different thing for different people. Some writers find it simple and unstressful to sit down, pound out a story, check it for spelling and grammar, and send it on its journey down Publish Me Avenue. Those writers usually have no problem with commitment. They know what they need or want to do, and do it. Yet another writer might look at the computer on their desk with disdain, knowing they need to write, yet having a feeling of doom come upon them. So they find something else to do, any excuse to keep from writing. They’re too busy, the house needs cleaned, and so forth. These writers have more a problem with commitment. They know what they want to do, need to do, but don’t want to take the necessary timne to do it.
Make the commitment to yourself to write so much at least every other day. Whether that commitment is to write five minutes, five pages, five hours, DO IT. If you get stuck on one storyline, blocked for ideas and thoughts, put that one aside and write something else for a brief time. Just write. You are building yourself as an author in doing so.
How does one become an author if they will not take the time to write something? If you are one of those people that has put Commitment on the back shelf, it’s time to take Commitment down, dust it off, and put it to good use. Commitment is your friend!
Some Ideas
Decide what is the right amount of time for you to write, uninterrupted. Five minutes? Five hours? You know your life, your schedule. Now take that, use it to your benefit. You say you have no time? Make it. You take time to go to the bathroom, right? Then you have time! Take pen and paper, clean off a spot in the bathroom, leave it there. When you’re occupied in the bathroom, use the time to jot down ideas and such. After a few of these trips, you’ve written yourself a book! Who knows how many authors penned their works while visiting the unspeakable place.
Got kids? Get them to help with the housework. Most kids are old enough to do some type of chore, whether it’s washing the dishes, folding laundry, and the like. Enlist them to help out, be sure they clean up behind themselves, let them help each other with homework. Take the time to write, saving the editing for later that night after they’ve gone to bed.
Are You a Comedian at Heart?
Do you live to crack people up? No, not the kind of cracking up that requires glue sticks to mend the person. Are you the type person that finds humor in life? Use that! Break out the paper and pen, the computer, the smoke signals, and write those funnies down! People love to read humor in articles and stories, especially when times are uncertain. It helps bring a feeling of calmness to life.
Humor can be found anywhere. The workplace, the home, the extended family, the grocery store, the park. Take ideas you see in everyday life, make them into your own story, and jot it all down. Humor makes the world spin around, so humor someone today!
Yes, you can be an author. The dedication you put forth will show in your finished product. As a craftsman takes pride in his finished piece, so you also can take pride in yours. The prestige that comes from being an author is one seldom seen in any other field. Join the ranks of that special group of people, become an author.
