Age Doesn't Matter: Just Write.

I apologize for my disappearance lately. I'm back home now and have strong wifi again. I never realized how much I relied on wifi until...I had a very weak connection. It's quite pathetic actually. However, it did give me a chance to finish another round of Descending Darkness edits and start yet another book.

I've gotten a few emails lately that have actually made me cry. I literally had silent tears streaming down my face as I read the emails. I love hearing about all of your writing endeavors and I'm so humbled to hear that my writing has helped you in any way. On a side note, if you are writing and are stuck, I'm available to shoot off ideas or just talk to to get you out of your funk! (I seriously love talking to other writerly people.)

This post is a response to a common thing I've been reading in these emails. Let me start off by saying this: I'm only 19. Though I'm technically considered an adult, I still classify myself as a teenager. For the next five months, I'm still a TEEN. I've had a few people state that they were afraid to start writing because they thought that they were too young. 

You are never too young to write.

Writing shouldn't have an age. If there is a voice in your head, you can write. If there are scenes playing in your mind, write them down. If there are characters that are literally screaming at you to hear them, listen. Write them down. Don't push them back until you're older. Sometimes there's no better time than the present.

Please, don't let anyone tell you that you are too young or too old to do what you want to do. It's never too late to start something. If you're still in high school, you can still write. If you're in college, you can write. If you're a stay at home mom with two kids, you can still write. If you are retired, you can still write.

I was that shy girl in the background. In high school, I told two friends that I wanted to write. I was afraid to let others know. It took me leaving high school and going to college before I realized that I didn't have to be that stereotype anymore. I didn't have to be that shy girl that no one really knew. I didn't have to always sit in the back and let everyone shine around me.

One day, I decided to listen to the weird voices in my head. I'm glad that I put my craziness on the page. I talk to imaginary characters and live in my imagination on a daily basis, and I love it. If you're a shy person, but feel like you have a loud inner voice: write. It's really that simple. 

I know that I'm not in a position to be telling you what to do, but if you want to do something and already have a passion for it, why aren't you doing that? Writing isn't something that the second you turn 25, you acquire a talent for it. It comes naturally and it'll show no matter what age you are.

Now, I don't think that I'm necessarily a good writer, but my characters demand that I write them out, so that's what I do. They screamed at me when I ignored them until I wrote their stories down and let others read them. I'm constantly writing stories in my head and now I can do that for others as well. It didn't matter that I was 18 when I start writing. It doesn't matter that I'm young or still in school. I like writing, so that 's what I'm doing.

If one person reads this post and starts writing, it'll be worth it. Don't be afraid to talk to someone about it! Send a message to your favorites authors. From experience, I know that many indie authors are very willing to help their readers out in any way that they can. Don't be afraid to send emails asking for advice or writing tips. At least for me, I love talking to other writers and am willing to help in any way that I can. 

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. If someone says that, prove them wrong. Only you are standing in your way. 

 

2 comments