The Real Reason Why Writers Write
July 22nd, 2008 at 06:24am Manchild
“Ideas are not truly alive if they remain locked in a single mind. Our need to transfer them to others focuses us to consider why and where we want them to go, and how we want them to get there.” — Henry M. Boettinger
Are you someone who’s got a great idea, a vision, but still don’t know how to effectively present your “intellectual property” to the millions of people you hope and pray will benefit from your “Big Dream?” Are you an “introvert?” Does the thought of public speaking buckle your knees? Here’s something to think about. Why not sit down and write a book? Think about it.
C’mon Manchild! You’re kidding right? Me, write a book. I’m not qualified to write a book worth reading. I don’t have a Ph.d, nor do I have a Masters Degree. Why I didn’t even go to college. I barely graduated from high school. Besides, I don’t even know where to begin writing a book that anybody would honestly believe is worth reading.
Why not start writing your book, your daily column, your magazine article, your screen play, or your stage play today, right here, right now? Gee, why not? Writer’s block huh? Fear of Failure huh? Maybe you’re not hungry enough yet. Maybe you still don’t think you have what it takes to excel and succeed as a writer, huh? That’s okay. I’ll still love you anyway. In the meantime, here’s something to think about that, hopefully, will challenge you to overcome your Moses complex.
Remember what Moses told God when the Most High called him into a position of leadership and challenged him to confront Pharoh? How do you respond to the challenges that show up when least expected? How will you ever know what’s possible if you never try to do the impossible? Hmmmm. You have nothing to lose but your fears and inhibitions and everything to gain. Besides, who told you that you couldn’t write a book worth reading? probably the same people who told me to give up and walk away from my “Big Dream.”
Had I listened to the skeptics, cynics, and pundits who kept telling me “no, never, impossible, and can’t,” I’d still be singing the “woulda, coulda, shoulda blues.” My faith in God and myself would have never been tested. But I refused to let somebody else tie me up in “nots.” Are you still tied up in “nots” because you simple refuse to honestly believe you can achieve your “Big Dream?”
If I could beat impossible odds with God’s help and “Finish Writing The Vision” that evolved into Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great,” you can do the same. But you must honestly believe it’s possible to do so. Because my faith in God and myself has been severely tested over the past 10 years, I can honestly say that I can trust God absent any reservations whatsoever. I honestly believe that nothing is impossible to God. Do you?
“After The Fall,” I refused to believe “The Greatest Lie Ever Told.” After my great fall, I refused to remain hopelessly lost in a deceptive spiritual darkness so thick that it makes one too many talented people too sick to care whether they live or die. It’s what Adversity taught me, not what Success bought me, that inspired me write Steppin’ Out Of The Darnkness. The real reason why writers write is “Love.”
Love inspires writers to write the books that “choose us” because we honestly believe we do have an idea to share that will improve the human condition and make the world a better, safer place to live. God’s love inspires writers to pen the books people believe are worth reading. There’s a reason why “Talent Alone Is Not Enough” to achieve “Greatness.” Successfully writing a book that “chose me” challenged me to share in the light what I learned in the dark about “The Gift Of Greatness” has changed my life forever. Do you know what Greatness is and where it begins? How would you choose to define Greatness?
Because I believed it was possible to beat impossible odds with God’s help, I rose to my feet and chose to step out of the same spiritual darkness that has blinded many of you to the truth. If not, why haven’t so many of you chosen to “finish writing the vision” you abruptly abandoned after the great fall you survived? Why do so many of you still find yourselves stuck in the same “self-defeating” rut of your own choosing because your own betrayal of silence gives you a false sense of security? Think about it. But be honest with yourself.
Who or what is still keeping you from risin to your feet and steppin’ out of the darkness? If you choose to remain tied up in “nots” because you refuse to stop making fear-based decisions and settling for less than God’s best, the day will come when you begin to hate loving yourself. As always, the choice to rise to your feet and step out of the darkness is yours alone to make. Only you and God know the real reason why you keep choosing to let your peers’ deepest fears and your own self-imposed limitations convince you to believe it’s impossible for a “humbled beginner” like you to successfully achieve your big dream.
Are you ready and willing to do something you’ve never done to get something you’ve never had? What are you still not willing to do “for the first time” this year? Writing an inspirational story about personal leadership to share your “paradigm shifting” idea(s) may not be your Big Dream. But whatever method of communication you choose to use to inspire, encourage, and empower the millions of people you desire to reach and teach, let love, not money, be the real reason why you aspire to do what you do with excellence.
How many of you thought that “Money” was the real reason why writers write the books we read? How many of you believe there’s a difference between “authors” and “writers?” Do authors and writers share the same motivation or source of inspiration? The next time you get the opportunity, talk to someone who truly loves what they do professionally. If you’re shy, just sit and watch them have fun while they play. If you choose to do what you truly love to do with “excellence,” you will never have to work. Do you agree?
For those of you who have been consistently reading this blog since January 1, 2007, you know that blogging was an “act of faith” for an ex-perfectionist like me. You’ve endured my mistakes during my humble beginnings. You’ve watched me fail, stumble badly, and fall flat on my face. Yet and still, so many of you refused to give up on me. You became my “champions.” So many of you loved me unconditionally and encouraged me despite the many mistakes I’ve made and still make. Because of your love, I kept getting up, showing up, and challenging you to take the next step towards making our big dreams come true.
To this day, your love, your private words of encouragement, your comments still inspire me to keep blogging and doing what I love to do — write. I hope and pray that all the culturally diverse members of our galvanized community will choose to “keep loving to love one another” as we share our thoughts and ideas. So please don’t stop challenging our blended, extended family members to keep risin’ to our feet after every fall our gifted souls survive until the day we meet the greatness of God’s faithfulness.
Together, I honestly believe we really can make a difference. Do you? I hope so.
But by grace still go I.
Copyright (c) 2008 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.
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Entry Filed under: Acts Of Faith, All About Love, Art of Teaching, Bloggers And Blogging, Book Excerpts, Creative Excellence, Creative Writing, Critical Thinkers, Education, Inspiration, Journalism, Leadership, My Big Dream, Personal Development, Personal Leadership, Steppin' Out Of The Darkness, Think About It





























10 Comments Add your own
1. Lillie Ammann | July 25th, 2008 at 5:42 am
Manchild,
I have a friend who needs to hear these words and am sending her a link to this post. Thank you for sharing your heart and soul with your readers.
2. Miz | July 25th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Excellent post and so true…i’ve many debate about why we write, some feel it is “the ego”…i beg to differ, it is what we truly love to do. Thanks for sharing that piece.
3. SBA | July 28th, 2008 at 10:33 am
My husband writes plays as a ’sideline’. In the beginning I didn’t understand why he didn’t care that they were commercially successful — he refused to give up creative rights to producers. Like you he had to write and just the process of ‘publishing’ with actors and a small audience was enough. His vision had come to life. Thanks for sharing.
4. Paula | August 1st, 2008 at 2:20 am
I thank you for this wonderful post. I am a writer; I have always been a writer since childhood. It is who I am, but over the years what I truly love to do has been placed on the back burner due to fear, well I am back and you post has inspired me to go on and do what I love. Thanks again!
5. Marvalus | August 2nd, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Such beautiful and inspiring words, Manchild…I always come here when I need a little push…
Thanks for being you!
6. Lori Laws | August 5th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Wow Manchild, so glad you requested me as a friend, otherwise, I wouldn’t have found your incredibly inspiring blog! I too, am learning from my personal “dark period.” It’s incredible what God can do. Yes, when we step out of the boat, we discover that God equips the called, the called don’t have to be equipped by their own standards.
This is a wonderful blog! God bless you,
Lori
7. Tammy AKA Strongblkwmn | August 20th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Wow! I have loved writing almost all of my life. It is in my blood and if I wasn’t able to put pen to paper I would feel like I was suffocating. I have written several things over the years, but never attempted to publish. I am almost done with my first novel, that I really believe in, and I am so excited to see what will happen next.
Your words are wonderful, and extremely inspiring. I thank you for visitiing my blog and leaving such kind words. I will definitely be checking your blog out to see what you have to say.
8. T. Michelle Theus | September 2nd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Great post! I agree that books choose their writers. I have a book coming out and it took me forever to finally do it because I did NOT want to write this book! LOL I just did not want to write on this particular topic, but I swear my pen would only flow freely when I was writing on this topic so I finally I had to give in. LOL
Your book sounds great, I will have to check it out. And I hope you keep writing! I’m sure your work is not done
ttyl
9. Bingkee | September 19th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Since I was 8 years old, I knew I wanted to write, but that dream was overtaken by another talent of mine. I also loved painting and designing. For so long, I aspired to become a fashion designer. But for so many occasions which I believe God’s intervention, my dreams to work in fashion design had always been dumped or had been disrupted by some other opportunities. Even while I was working as a copywriter in an ad agency in my early & mid 20’s, I still longed for fashion. But writing opportunities always come my way. Then I realized later, that it’s where God wanted me to be—to share my stories of faith and humility, my experiences and my tribulations. Because if I had turned to the “other way” where I ‘m not supposed to be, I might not be happy and contented—or maybe that’s not a way for me to glorify God and bless others.
10. Batull | October 14th, 2008 at 2:15 am
Manchild,
U seem to speak, write a universal language, having peeked into all our souls! Reading your post was like reading into my mind! I love writing but have never pursued it “professionally”…friends n family in fact have encouraged me to pursue a career as a copywriter as I started my career as a graphic designer. They insisted I was wasting my talent…based on my emotional missives and humourous scripts I used to write as a hobby. Now I’m neither designing nor writing professionally…I’ve switched careers to work with the social development sector. BUT I recently DID start blogging, and it felt like breathing from atop a high mountain on a clear bright day! I don’t write too much…but I so revel in it. ….And now I wish and hope to pursue My Big Dream….which is to do things to make a difference in this world and u have helped me work harder at it!! Thank u………………..: )
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