Man has always desired to express himself, first through spoken words and then by developing symbols to represent those words. From cave paintings and stone tablets, to print books and e-readers we have found ways to make our thoughts/words last and to share them with others.
Photography of Lascaux animal painting (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I have written many things in my life from silly stories as a child, to research papers. Over the last several years I’ve taken classes and gone to conferences learning how to become a published author. I’ve taken my laptop computer to coffee shops, sat in my writing room developing back story, and joined a critique group. If you’re serious about writing, it can be an all-consuming endeavor.
The heart of writing is not the first draft, but the re-writing that comes after. This is often what separates real writers from the wannabes, because it is very hard work. I am still re-envisioning a story I wrote over a year ago and it is slow going. I find it one of the hardest things I have ever done.
I never thought writing a story was easy, but now that I know what it really entails and how long it takes, I am in awe of successful authors. It takes thousands of hours of writing, lots of determination and imagination, not to mention stamina and will-power if you want to be successful. It takes someone who can face rejection, then turn around and do it again.
A Picture of a eBook (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
So, the next time you read a story in a day or two and have really enjoyed it, take a moment to appreciate how much time and effort that author put into it. I guess you could say, writing is the “agony and the ecstasy.”
