Funny I have heard from a couple of people who are joining us to FINISH THE BOOK and they are worried they are not authors.
So if you are not published then technically that may be true but guess what? I tend to use the words for the same thing. Writer/Author. Regardless of PUBLICATION YOU ARE A WRITER or you wouldn't be here!! If you are particiapting and write things, you are a writer. And with that being said you are an author iun your own right! We are all glad you are here. I sure am. You are a writer if you are participating here. You are a writer because you have a story to tell. You are a writer because you have wanted to finish a story. You are a writer because the voices inside you keep talking. We are all caught in the bubble together and guess what? We are going to finish a book this year! SO hang on tight! So how can we all cultivate our writer self and our want to be an author. Our want to write the story of our heart. How do we do it? I have always heard authors say that to become the best at writing you have to read. But more specifically read stories similar to what you are writing. Read advidly in your genre. Read all you can about writing. Study up on where you have struggles. If you are having trouble with head-hopping then I encourage you to study hard in that area. Plenty can be found online for free. Or if like some authors you don't mind making the purchase of a book on the craft you are studying, go for it. But don't let the studying and reading take you away from your 500 words a day and that hour with your butt in the chair. If you have a favorite author then pay attention to how they say things. How they make it read magically to you. And learn from said author. In fact I think we are all guilty of stealing from our favorite writers and authors. No we do not steal their words, voice or style but we can learn from them and utilize what we learn in our own writing.
There are no excuses here for not writing but there is also no judgement. YOU only answer to yourself here. The rest of us here are you support and encouragement. You know what, you arew also loved and respected here! That is the very least we can do for each other. Before you begin your hour of writing each day speak it out loud and tell yourself: I AM A WRITER. I AM A WRITER. I AM A WRITER. And then go to it. You are a writer and it's TIME TO WRITE.
