The other day I talked about why writing should be fun. But like I said, sadly, sometimes it’s just not fun at all and once writing becomes “work” enjoyment might fall faster than my 403(b) plan did last week.
So even though it may not always be fun, one thing writing will always be is cool. And by association, that makes people who write cool too.
Even if you’re not a good writer–hell, even if your writing seems patterned after a four-year-old with a box of crayons–when you’re writing, you’re cool because writing is cool.
And here’s why:
If you’re a writer, you’re allowed to daydream.
In fact, daydreaming is my number one method of brainstorming idea.
You’re allowed–even expected–to make mistakes.
Tons of mistakes. The best part is the mistakes you make on your early drafts are private; nobody will ever see them and you can fix them quickly without spending any money, unlike paving your driveway.
If you’ve written a book, your coolness factor immediately triples overnight.
Think of how many people you know who have professed a desire to write a book, but haven’t. By finishing that first novel, you graduate into an exclusive club of cool people called Humans Who Have Written A Book. So crack out the champagne.
And speaking of alcohol…
Writing is one of the few professions where it is perfectly acceptable to have one or two on the job, provided you do your writing either at home or in a hotel lounge.
And speaking of secret clubs…
I think most us start our writing careers in the shadows. It’s like new writers are embarrassed or something. But we shouldn’t be. Because once we build up the courage to stop hiding our secret hobby, we find new writing friends everywhere. There’s no secret handshake for this club, but maybe we could start a campaign to have writers stab each other with felt-tip pens when they meet in public.
Everything above is great. But do you know what the coolest part of writing is?
Freedom.
Yeah, that sounds a little strange, but let me put it this way: Do you live in the past? Do you live in the future? Once you start writing fiction, you are instantly transferred to wherever, and whenever, you want to be. As a writer, you have permission to live vicariously through the characters you create.
And how cool is that?
