Today I am proud of my writing skills.
I’ve been a writer for about 20 years now. It all began when I was 11 years old and I had to keep a journal for my 6th grade English class. I wrote a poem for each entry- the poems were usually about nature, God, and silly adolescent stuff.
My poems reminded my Dad of Emily Dickinson’s poems, and he encouraged me to read a biography about the famously reclusive poet, as well as her groundbreaking poems.
We did a section on the Holocaust in my 7th grade English class, and I decided that I would write my term paper about children of the Holocaust. I read and immediately fell in love with Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.
My first official journal was dedicated to Anne Frank, my new kindred spirit. I began to document everyday life and include photos, ticket stubs, and more, like Anne did.
I have filled many more journals since then and eventually earned my bachelor’s degree in journalism and English.
I sometimes look back on those journals, read the entries, and think, “This is pretty good. Maybe I could write a book one day and include something like this in it.”
I have written a novel for National Novel Writing Month, but haven’t refined it enough yet that I would be comfortable releasing it to the world.
Now my career includes writing. I’m proud that I am able to use that skill in my daily working life and in my spare time.
Everybody has different talents, and not many people can write well because they are talented in other ways. I am proud that I can write and enjoy the fulfillment it gives me.
The only bad thing about my writing is I am VERY particular about it! I won’t share anything I consider “crap”. And each blog post I write has at least 5 revisions.
That’s why I haven’t been sharing things daily for my 30 Days Proud Project. Because I’ll start to write something and get stuck, or I’ll think, “This isn’t coming across right. Screw it!” I will never share anything I consider sub-par with anyone.
But I think my nitpickiness has helped me become a better writer over the years.
Who knows… maybe I will publish a novel someday… if I ever work up the guts to share it!
