The Inevitable Highs and Lows of Life as a Born Writer

A little insight on this rollercoaster ride.

Photo Courtesy of the Author

Qualifications of a born writer

Firstly, what do I mean by ‘born writer’? You’re considered a born writer if:

1. You prefer writing rather than talking to express yourself.
2. You use writing as a therapeutic outlet.
3. You decide one day that you’re a born f*@%ing writer now.

Writers tend to have a natural love/hate relationship with their lives, that’s for sure. So, what are the highs and lows? The love and the hate? Let’s start out with the lows first.

The Lows

1. Being a writer — at the risk of sounding melodramatic — is torturous at times.

Ever heard the phrase, “Ah, he/she is such a tortured artist/writer”? We are out here metaphorically baring our nakedness to the world. When we’re writing about the things we truly have passion for, we are making ourselves agonizingly vulnerable.

And guess what? Same as any other artist, we often get completely shat on in the form of rejection. It’s a part of the life. Not everyone is going to love what you write, the way you write it, or even a single thing you’ve ever written. It may seem like no one really likes it at all.