"So you want to be a writer?"

So you want to be a writer?

If you think about writing for others and not for yourself, then you should think twice before calling yourself a writer. I'm not a writer, and I will never call myself one. I can't write for others, and I find it even more difficult to write for myself. I am most definitely NOT a writer. I can type words on a computer screen, or scribble some words into a piece of paper, but at the end of the day, that's just what they are: words. They can be powerful, they can be pointless, but they are just words.

I have dreamt so many times that I was a famous writer, and that my stories touched people's hearts and souls. That the choice of my words were so beautiful and strong that they had the power to change thoughts and ideas; that they were worshipped by millions, and re-read with excitement. I dreamt that my stories were part of someone's list of favourite stories; that they were the subject of talk between friends; that they made people cry and laugh, and feel angry at times; that they would change the world, or someone's world; that they would make me famous and rich, and adored by all; that they were so magical that no one dared to destroy the covers and the pages that they were written in.

But why dream of such stupid and utopian things? I guess, in dreams you can become whatever you want to be. You see yourself at the center of the universe, and everyone around you thinking that you are the most amazing human being that ever lived. When you wake up, you feel frustrated because you know that there is one person out there who doesn't like you very much, and that doesn't think you deserve to be at the center of all things. And, worse, you know there are people out there who never even heard of you or simply don't care. That's when you know you're awake. You go through the day hating everyone and yourself, and you repeat to yourself, over and over..."Let me just get through this awful day and tolerate all these people, so I can go to bed later and dream. Dream of my uniqueness, of my awesomeness. Dream that I'm the most important, most interesting and most loved person in the world."

That's what stories do! They have the power to change realities.

The whole point of this blog, as well as the Writer's Club, is to help you tell yourself and others that maybe your stories are worth being told, and that, sometimes, dreams do come true. I am here to learn, and to teach, and so are you. Just keep your pens and your fingers sharp and do it. Forget about everything or everyone else, and write just because you feel like it.

All the best,

Ana Domingues



"So You Want to Be a Writer?" by Charles Bukowski (poetry reading)