What’s Your Reason for Not Writing?

I meet them at parties. In my classes. In line for movies. People who want to write but don’t.

Sometimes they long to do it. They think about it at night or at work, wistfully and often sadly. They envy people who write and wish they had what it takes. Yet, they don’t write.

They are doctors and stay-at-home moms, fifth grade teachers and law students, taxi drivers and programmers. And some of them have brilliant fiction or dazzling poetry locked inside them. But they will never know it. Because they don’t pick up a pen and write.

If you are one of them, you no doubt have reasons. If I were to ask you why you don’t write, you’d tell me you don’t have the time or the talent, that you don’t know what to write about or that you’re afraid to spend years working on something that might never get published. I’ve heard all of these so-called reasons. In fact, I’ve used some myself. And I’m here to tell you that, if you feel the urge to write, you need to deep-six those excuses now—this minute—and get to work. Because that yearning is never going to go away.

Need some way to set those excuses aside? Here are some suggestions. These are the five most common reasons people give me for why they aren’t writing—and what I tell them.

1. I don’t have any talent.

My first question when I hear this one is: How do you know? If you haven’t written—a lot—you don’t have any reason to question your ability. Unless you’ve studied and practiced for many years, you can’t really say whether you have talent or not.

Besides, who said you have to be brilliantly talented to be a writer? There are thousands of successful writers out there who are only so-so. They love their work, they have publishers and fans, and they have a good time doing it. So what if you aren’t the next Bronte sister? Who is?

2. It’s too hard to make it as a writer.

You’re right. If by “making it,” you mean writing a best-seller, winning a National Book Award, or going on Oprah, then you’re probably better off doing something else. Most writers don’t achieve any of those things. In fact, most don’t even earn a living at it—and I’m talking about talented, hard working writers here.

So, if the only reason you’d like to write is for the money and fame, you are probably better off in another field. You have a much better chance making money as a dentist or car salesman than as a writer.

On the other hand, if you’re writing because you’re called to it by a quiet voice inside, because you have a story that needs to be told, because you find it the most fulfilling thing you can do, then who cares how hard it is to write a best seller? Do it for the love.

3. I don’t have the time.

Yes, you do. More than one published novel has been written in ten minutes a day. If you can’t swing ten minutes, you need to seriously think about your lifestyle. (To read more about making the most of your time, see my posts from March 28^th, “Don’t Have Time to Write? Yes, You Do,” and April 7^th, “The 60-Second Writer.”)

4. I don’t have any ideas.

Really? Think about it. Have you ever wanted something you couldn’t get? Have you ever wanted something you did get? Most stories are about one or the other. Write yours. Or pick one of the following: an embarrassing experience, something that made you laugh or cry, your first day of school, the day you got married or your child was born. Write about a friend, a parent, a pet. Write about something that is happening in the news. Write about your day. Write about cantaloupes or stop signs or shoes. Ideas are everywhere.

5. I don’t know how to get started.

Get out a piece of paper. Get a pen or pencil. Imagine you are telling a friend about something that happened to you. Write what you would say.

There. You’ve done it. Your first draft of a story or essay or poem. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect or brilliant. You can revise it later. The important thing is to get the words down. Even if there are only a few of them. They are on the page. They are real. They are yours.