Are you a Writer?

         I’m reading “The 21 irrefutable Laws of Leadership,’ by John C. Maxwell. I’ve only read the first few chapters, but already I am impressed. Each chapter, each law he mentions is right on target. I’ve intuitively known much of what I’ve read so far, but I don’t think I’ve ever consciously thought about it in just this way. Maxwell quantifies all this information succinctly, bringing nebulous insights into crystal clarity.

         One such insight is the Law of Process. Simply stated it says becoming a leader is a daily process. You don’t become a leader in a day. A person practices and grows and develops little by little, day by day, task by task and lesson by lesson. Each day’s choices build a path for the next day and the next and the next. This is true in all of life. No great achievement happens overnight. Those that seem to be overnight successes are the result of daily, consistent effort over the span of days, even years.

         Remember that the next time you sit down to write. Each day’s writing is building your dream. Remember that the next time you want to sit and veg in front of the TV or play a computer game because you are too tired to write. (I’m talking to myself here!) Remember that the next time you are tempted the throw away the worthless words you’ve just written. A writer writes! Every day . . . or as close to everyday as possible. Even when the words won’t come or the ones that do are trash. That consistent daily choice, that accumulation of those words and the creation of those stories develop the writer in ways nothing else can. Not reading about writing. Not talking about writing. Not planning the writing. All those things, while important and valuable aids are essentially useless and ineffective without that one ingredient for developing the writer. Words written and written and written.

          In the end, writers write.