So, You Want to be a Writer!

Like countless others,
You have imperial dreams
Of someday seeing
Your words in print,
Of the rest of the world
Suddenly waking up
To who you are
And what you have to say.
Well, if you want
To be a writer,
The secret, if there is one,
Is to write, write
And write some more.
Write about anything
And everything.
Experiment with language.
Try a different style,
Maybe a subject
You never previously considered.
Let people see
What you have written.
Let them criticize
And bleed all over it,
Then pick yourself up
By your boot straps
And write again.
Writing serves as
Food for thought,
So the more you write,
The more there is to write.
You need not fear
Ever running out of topics.
Take notice of what
Catches your eye,
And ask yourself why.
Also observe
How much of life
You tend to miss.
Notice the people
Around you,
Every one of them
Has a story
They're dying to tell.
Many of them
Have two or three
Good tales,
And aren't even sure
Which ones are true.
Learn to laugh with them
And at yourself.
Go where people talk,
And listen for the gold.
Capture what it is
To be human,
Taking in the good,
As well as the bad,
The beautiful,
As well as the ugly.
Have compassion
For those around you
As well as for yourself.
Explore life, love
And happiness,
Then take note of
The part that sorrow
Plays in life.
Observe the meaning
You give to things.
Learn what it is
To be fully alive,
And alert to life,
For only then
Will you have
A story worth telling.