This post is for the amateurs, the newbies, the dreamers, the ones not confident enough to publish their first blog post. This blogpost is for someone that’s doubting their gift.

This blog has been sitting in my drafts for more than 5 years now, and I have already made more than 10 iterations to this so far. I don’t recollect what prompted me to write this. I started my career in marketing and communication, and writing has been something I’ve been doing since I was a teenager. I remember writing poems, letters to friends, writing in the diary (not like Anne Frank though) documenting my day, thoughts and prayers. As a young adult I started running a personal blog called Sunken & Elevated where I still publish sometimes.

Writing as an art form or hobby has been romantised greatly and why not! Writing can just mean putting ink to paper to someone or adding melody to music for others. Writing is personal. It’s heartwarming. It’s heavy. It’s messy. It’s openness. It’s catharsis. It’s love, hate and life itself.

My nephew told me he wants to be a screenwriter for the movies and is now in a film school in Paris. I wonder what he feels when he coins words and embroiders narratives. Is it about storytelling or living out a life and letting others know what living outside one’s life feels like? Viola Davis in her 2017 Oscar acceptance speech said this:

“You know, there’s one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered — one place, and that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, “What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola?” And I say, “Exhume those bodies.” Exhume those stories — the stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost. I became an artist, and thank God I did because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.”

I love this speech because it depicts exactly how I feel about being an writer. Writing opens a world of possibilities on the inside and outside. Let me explain. When I say inside I mean, you grow as a person as you put your thoughts, intentions, opinions and perspective as a physical copy. You can see yourself from a third person. This is huge for people who are trying to figure themselves out. You don’t have to do ‘n’ number of things to know what you’re capable of. You can simply assess how you are by observing and taking notes as to how you react, respond and show up for life.

On the outside, it helps you figure out what you are good at for a career, how you are in relationships (your communication, empathy, non-verbal communication and more). How you approach life’s highs and lows, the quality of your friendships and family bonds. Writing is a two-edged sword, once you start – whether you like it or not, something is going to happen.

So I encourage anyone reading this to put their minds to rest, allude yourself from criticism from your self and others. Have confidence that the things you want to write about is needed in this world and there is someone that’s going to benefit from reading what you write. Have a positive attitude, pray and start writing with conviction, confidence and flair.

P.S. I am rooting for you 🙂

P.P.S I did not want to include the technical aspect of blog writing in this post because frankly there are enough resources on the web. Also, truthfully speaking, people who read and write with conviction don’t need an outline or a cover image to share their truth. Just start writing, and be consistent. Know your niche and get going. Rest will follow.