I write, but I don’t know if I’m a writer.  Not yet.

I don’t pretend to know more than anyone else about everything involving writing, but I am trying to learn.  Some of you have already been published, so you already are ahead of me.  So these “Writing” posts are not supposed to be educational.  They are supposed to be supportive.

There are thousands, maybe millions out there who are just like me – trying, wanting, working to be a writer.  I don’t know everything there is to do, not yet, but I’m working on it.  And I’m sharing because maybe you are in my position too, or maybe you are thinking about it.  If anything, these posts might just be a way to let you know what’s ahead of you.  They might be something that let’s you know that if an idiot like me can do it, then you can do it too.  However, I haven’t really done anything yet.  But I’m working on it.

I guess you can say that I have done things.  Sure.  I wrote four books that range from 60,000 words up to 92,000 words.  No, they haven’t been published, but that’s what this is all about.  Trying to get published and learning along the way.

One of the things that helps is all of you who have asked, “Why aren’t you published yet?”  In their minds, I write well enough that I should be on bookshelves somewhere.  After all the times I’ve been asked why I’m not published, the main reason is rather embarrassing.  It’s because I have not tried due to a fear of failure.

I was recently talking about writing with one of my writer friends who has already been accepted by a publisher and is currently working with an editor.  She also had a fear of failure, but she took a shot, she hit it, and she’s on her way.  I’m not, but I have at least gotten past the fear of failure.  I would rather fail than not try because failing to try is worse than failing.  I had been saying, “If I don’t pull the trigger, I can’t possibly miss the target.”  Until I realized that, although I won’t miss the target, I won’t hit it either.

So – go ahead – take a shot.