Am I a Writer?

Is one considered a writer if they haven't published anything? The short answer is: YES! Keep reading!

“If, when you wake up in the morning, you can think of nothing but writing . . . then you are a writer.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke "Letters to a Young Poet."

The first time I heard these words was in 1993; I was 9 years old. Already a huge fan of Sister Act (the music gets me every time!), I was beyond excited when Sister Act 2 was released. You know how they say there aren't very many sequels that are better than the originals? Well, Sister Act 2 is one of those sequels. Better cast (did y'all know Jennifer Love Hewitt is in this movie??), better music, better everything!

Ok, sorry for the slight rabbit hole... back to the quote. A very wise Sister Mary Clarence (aka Whoopy Goldberg) shared this wisdom with her young and full-of-attitude student Rita (aka Lauren Hill), but she swapped writing/writer for singing/singer. 28 years later, and those words still resonate with me.

Sometimes I find it difficult to remember things/feelings/etc that happened decades ago. But this... I remember how this made me feel like it was yesterday. It was an "aha moment". A realization that even at that young age, writing was on my mind. Fast forward almost 30 years later. I've written a couple of manuscripts, but they remain unpolished and unedited. I have yet to publish anything. But I'm working on it!

Some people feel that if their work isn't out for the world to enjoy, then they're not a writer. I've struggled with this notion in recent years as well, until one day, I remembered this quote. I remembered the lightbulb that went off while watching Sister Mary Clarence explain the concept to Rita. I remembered the feeling that surged through me that because I did think about writing, one day I was going to be a writer.

So, to answer the original question: am I a writer? Yes, yes I am!

And now I leave you with a song :)

Until next time -

Renee :)