Go Ahead, Spread the Word: You're a Writer

What transforms a person from someone who WANTS to write into a person who DOES write?

For me, it was first of all, my husband. And then after I opened myself to the possibility, the realization that this was what God had created me for. You see, I don’t see myself—I’ve NEVER EVER seen myself as someone who was good at any specific job. Perhaps I wasn’t listening to God as closely as I should have all those years... or I might have come to the revelation earlier that the job HE had created me for was right under my nose—at my laptop computer.

But at best, my attitude about my writing a book would have been more in the category involving “wishful thinking” than “following my calling.” But still, I trucked away. I literally had to figure out HOW to write a book all on my own. So I did.

Okay, jump ahead a year or so. I’d finally made it to the point where I was comfortable enough to let my friends read what I was writing (after my husband so gallantly announced, (at our new small group at a new church on a new side of town) “Dawn’s writing a book!” (Yeah. Great. Thanks, Jon). Even at that point, I was in denial. I was not a writer. I was only someone trying to write a book.

So I let each of “my smallies” read through what I had of my rough draft (it wasn’t even finished yet!). I really didn’t expect them to tell me it was horrible, BECAUSE they were my friends. But I could tell they were actually pleasantly surprised when they said things like, “Wow, it is just like a real (published) book!” (Amy Spallinger), or “I couldn’t help but sit up and read it late into the night even though I knew I had to wake up early the next day,” (Beth Butler) and were texting me things like, “You HAVE to tell me if this guy is for real or if he’s going to break her heart!” (Narissa Roth), and “Dawn, you HAVE to have this book published!” (Lisa Lomicka).

So what transforms a person from someone who WANTS to write into a person who DOES write?

Friends.

Reader-friends and Writer-friends, all the same. That’s what makes a giant difference in a writer’s life. If it weren’t for mine, whether they’re from Church, Small Group, Summit City Scribes, or ACFW... if it wasn’t for all of them, I would still be holed away writing a book for only myself... instead of for my agent.

So if you're a writer—or at least want to be—I suggest telling everyone you know about it. I know that completely goes against what most writers FEEL like doing, but without others spurring us on, where will we go? What will we accomplish? Probably, not much. 

  
P.S.  I put it in the mail (to my agent) this morning.