I’ve been interested in many topics over the years but there has always been this one strength that always rises above the others: writing. Warning: this article includes a lot of tooting my own horn in order to get the point across. I’m trying to show how experience relates to strengths. Please be patient with me and think about your own experiences.
All through school my teachers complemented me on my writing. My papers were usually read to the class. I had a teacher in third or fourth grade that took my report home because she liked my writing. She ended up losing the paper and she asked me to rewrite it. This was a week after the field trip to the Kerns Bakery in Knoxville, TN. I couldn’t remember what I wrote but she said it still captured what she liked about the first paper.
I used to create my own comic book characters. I wanted my own publishing company and I wanted to be the main artist. When I didn’t feel comfortable enough about my drawing I went on to something else. What I didn’t notice is how easy it was for me to write all of the stories. I had them developed in no time with a high level of detail. I might not have been able to draw them, but I could have written them.
Then, in college my composition instructor used my first paper to show the other students what a well-written paper looks like. All through college my fellow classmates and teachers complemented my writing. The instructor in my capstone class (bachelors in Business Management) told me that I should start a business writing business plans. I should have listened to her.
My point is this: if writing comes easier to you than other activities that you’ve tried and fellow students and teachers tell you that you should be a writer… you should be a writer. If you feel an urge to write… you should be a writer. If you enjoy writing… you should be a writer.
OK, you’ve decided that you should be a writer…what next? You have several options depending on whether or not you want to make writing a full-time living. If not, then write what you enjoy and submit it to publishers or post it to your own blog. You never know what it can turn in to. If you decide that you want to be a full-time writer then learn as much about writing as you can and choose a topic (preferably another strength or something you have an education in). Next, decide if you want to be a technical writer or freelance writer. Both are great choices. Do as much research on both as you can to help you make a choice. We will look at your options in more detail in upcoming posts.
Some trivia: I hurt my hand a few days ago and I just wrote this article in about 15 minutes while typing with one hand. I think I should be a writer.
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