Letter to an Aspiring Writer

Beware of artists. They mix with all classes of society and are therefore most dangerous.— Queen Victoria'

Dear Writer,

Have you ever woken in the night and thought: I’m here. I’m breathing. I have something to say. Can anyone hear me?

Have you ever surfed a wave? Looked down from a mountain peak? Jumped into icy water? And thought -- I’m alive – I’d like to pack this into my bag and pull it out later.

Do you remember moments of great joy? Of great sorrow? A flash of insight? And in those moments, do you recall the faces of those around you? Their stories? What they meant to you then? What traces of these do you carry with you?

How do you channel all this onto the page, so that it takes life? So that it streams into the consciousness of the reader, and sweeps them away into vulnerable corners of their own experience. So that they take stock of their ephemeral humanity; their brief moment in time.

How do you do this? You could look around and see what other writers and artists do -- and have done. You could steal like an artist, to help hone your craft. In the end, the writer, like the artist, must be authentic, speak their own truth.

It means being exposed. It demands courage.

There are rewards for being such a dangerous person. The kind of dangerous person Queen Victoria warned against.

That being so, dear Writer, you need to toughen up…AND be vulnerable. Good luck.

Magz

P.S. Be kind to yourself, but above all:

TURN UP, turn up, turn up to the page. -- Isabel Allende

AFTER-NOTE: For useful tips, CLICK here to read my earlier blog >> There's Good Stealing and There's Bad Stealing, where I discuss Austin Kleon's book, Steal Like an Artist.