Ah, yes! We're in a similar boat (we've already covered in Office Hours how similar we are!). I'm definitely in that space too where I'm just continuing to show up and see where it takes me. But this has been the first week where it's REALLY hit me that yes, I'm meant to be a writer!
I AM A WRITER.
And exactly the type of writer you're talking about (again, we've chatted about this!).
I love how God has led you here. I'm working on my own relationship with Him myself.
I love how you spoke about Him, it's a great reminder to spend some quality time with Him again.
This is a remarkable statement of purpose and conviction about your future as a writer, and your growing awareness of what the real purpose and meaning of writing is, as your faith in God expands this life calling and finally gives it the purpose that was intended.
I learned 25 years ago when I first stated posting my personal essays on a GeoCities homepage, and later at the inspiring writing community “Open Diary,” starting in 1999, that the writing that makes you truly happy and content is that which you can pour your heart and soul into and not have to be concerned about acceptance or rejection letters from editors. Back I those early days of the Internet, I found a loving and supportive community of fellow personal diarists and essayists who wrote from the heart and commented on my writing from a depth and degree of resonance that frequently triggered memories from their pasts.
I enjoyed the thrill of daily bylines on news and feature stories, and personal weekly columns during the years of my newspaper writing career which ended in 1991, but this experience, satisfying as it was, is nothing compared to the deep, personal joy and satisfaction of writing for an audience that truly cared about me. I didn’t make a penny doing it, but that was never the point of Open Diary and now also Prosebox. I had a stable government job by day, and wrote at night, becoming an entrenched and proud Night Owl. It worked then, and still does, even though I now can write during the day since I’m retired, but still do the bulk of my writing, which is posted here at Substack, at night in the wee hours when my memories, moods and creative juices are flowing in sync.
I love writing, as I know you do also. You are on the right path, and the answers to your prayers seem evident to me as I can ponder your next steps in this entirely different world of writing in the Age of the Internet. As much as the Internet (or is is now written, “internet?”) reviled for sucking up all our time, it has created enormous opportunities, and has led me to write as often as I never in a millions years would have imagined possible, in those long-ago pre-Internet days before I actually had an audience for my writing. For that, I think is what writers also truly crave, readers who are in some way changed, inspired, or simply entertained by a deeply felt and beautifully written and crafted narrative, whether fiction, non-fiction, personal essays or poetry. Personal essays have been my creative outlet and conduit to a sense of freedom intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. And this will always be the case. I am so fortunate to be a writer, as are you.
Ah, yes! We're in a similar boat (we've already covered in Office Hours how similar we are!). I'm definitely in that space too where I'm just continuing to show up and see where it takes me. But this has been the first week where it's REALLY hit me that yes, I'm meant to be a writer!
I AM A WRITER.
And exactly the type of writer you're talking about (again, we've chatted about this!).
I love how God has led you here. I'm working on my own relationship with Him myself.
I love how you spoke about Him, it's a great reminder to spend some quality time with Him again.
This is a remarkable statement of purpose and conviction about your future as a writer, and your growing awareness of what the real purpose and meaning of writing is, as your faith in God expands this life calling and finally gives it the purpose that was intended.
I learned 25 years ago when I first stated posting my personal essays on a GeoCities homepage, and later at the inspiring writing community “Open Diary,” starting in 1999, that the writing that makes you truly happy and content is that which you can pour your heart and soul into and not have to be concerned about acceptance or rejection letters from editors. Back I those early days of the Internet, I found a loving and supportive community of fellow personal diarists and essayists who wrote from the heart and commented on my writing from a depth and degree of resonance that frequently triggered memories from their pasts.
I enjoyed the thrill of daily bylines on news and feature stories, and personal weekly columns during the years of my newspaper writing career which ended in 1991, but this experience, satisfying as it was, is nothing compared to the deep, personal joy and satisfaction of writing for an audience that truly cared about me. I didn’t make a penny doing it, but that was never the point of Open Diary and now also Prosebox. I had a stable government job by day, and wrote at night, becoming an entrenched and proud Night Owl. It worked then, and still does, even though I now can write during the day since I’m retired, but still do the bulk of my writing, which is posted here at Substack, at night in the wee hours when my memories, moods and creative juices are flowing in sync.
I love writing, as I know you do also. You are on the right path, and the answers to your prayers seem evident to me as I can ponder your next steps in this entirely different world of writing in the Age of the Internet. As much as the Internet (or is is now written, “internet?”) reviled for sucking up all our time, it has created enormous opportunities, and has led me to write as often as I never in a millions years would have imagined possible, in those long-ago pre-Internet days before I actually had an audience for my writing. For that, I think is what writers also truly crave, readers who are in some way changed, inspired, or simply entertained by a deeply felt and beautifully written and crafted narrative, whether fiction, non-fiction, personal essays or poetry. Personal essays have been my creative outlet and conduit to a sense of freedom intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. And this will always be the case. I am so fortunate to be a writer, as are you.
Thank you for this, Sam! I followed the breadcrumbs here from Ungated and Rob Hardy, and I gotta say that I loved this piece!
Thank your bringing God into the equation and the discussion!
Your journey is similar to my journey and I look forward to seeing your progress!