" I write, therefore...I am.." These are the words I have in mind when an inspiring thought suddenly spark out of the blue, like an irresistible itch I can't resist, a thought that must be put into words, into phrases, into sentences, into paragraphs - until I am fully satiated and saw that I have just made my own masterpiece.
Writing is the very blood that drives me to dream more, make most, and enjoy the fruits of my skill with words. It just started on a one, gloomy day when I needed an outlet for my overwhelming desire to be heard. What used to be the first entry on my journal gave way to more and never had I thought that I will be on the way to polishing my skills as a creative writer, in the making.
Was it tough? I believe you can even ask J.K. Rowling this question when she had just started to write. I bet a dozen more big names in the industry could tell you that even though a very few are born with the prodigy in them, it takes more than that to claim the right of being called: Writer. One doesn't even have to be in the big league to tell you that writing is not some magic trick where you can produce something good in a snap of your fingers.
The reality of being a writer is like a sugar coated chocolate candy... only with the nuts.
Years of practice and careful attention to grammar and punctuation isn't enough to make a career out of the very passion that I had loved most. I always wake up in the morning with a single purpose that drives me like crazy - Write. It is apparently clear to me that my life purpose here on Earth is to be a writer.
It was hard getting noticed at first. I've tried approaching the kingpins of the publishing industry, full of hope, as I sent numerous query letters, manuscripts and my proverbial " pitch. " The gatekeepers of the writing business are very stringent in their choices and I had numerous No's to a lot of those I have sent... I lost track of it all.
Rejection is so natural in the writing industry. Get used to it.
Lucky that my optimism is greater than all the criticisms I could ever muster. I had learned to be open to them for you'll never know what you're going to learn from it. It is specially hard at first to take all those negative stuff they tell you. But these doesn't deter me, or even dampen my spirit. I am, like the cliche would say, dreaming.. of the impossible dream.
In real life, there are just too many antagonists to deal with.
I remember starting as a renegade writer and it was like trying to clean a 2,000 square foot floor with only a toothbrush in hand. It took me 3 months before a small player in the business had wanted to hire my services as a staff writer. I couldn't argue much about the pay since I don't still have that made-to-impress portfolio to show. I was just on the verge of building one.
Income-wise? It was just a meager income barely meeting my everyday needs, and to pay for bills, I have to think of some other ways. There was even a time when close family and friends started to get worried and tried to make me forget about this dream. They told me to get a life... and grab a job that could pay the monthly bills.
Seeing my first work in print, however, was the greatest reward I had. It felt more than cloud nine. Yes, there were times of confusion when I have to leave and try an office routine work just to make ends meet. Through the In's and Out's of my writing career, I could only be sure that this is the one true thing that makes me really happy. It is the very reflection of my wanting to connect with the world and make an indelible mark on it. Maybe, nothing is impossible for I had gone through impossible times and just turned out to be fine. I even had those bitter days of waiting to be paid for an article or two I have written late at nights, only to end up being used.. abused, and unpaid. But, there are really good people out there who appreciate both thoughts and labor.
The golden key of inspiration is inside every writer. There are many doors to choose from where hard work and discipline are essential tools, like spices to this innate love for the craft. I might be a newbie in the freelance writing scene to others, and an expert to a very few. I've been writing for free and writing for food. In the end, the realities of being a writer might be too hard to deal with...but the rewards.. are more than any adjective could ever describe.
" Live to Write. Write to live. "
Subscribe To Issacrea
Posts
Comments
Go to Project Gratitude
It Feels Good To Say Thank You
About Issacrea
Being a professional freelance artist and writer, I love pushing the limits of my creativity, using the powers of the written word and the art of the visual world, to compel people into thoughts and actions.
These are the collection of my creative writing works, some are featured on sites like Helium.com.
" It is passion to inspire that moves me into a writing frenzy, where a brief pause is spent on a moment of reflection on the many creative ideas that can be expressed into written and visual forms... and the journey goes on.. "
These are the collection of my creative writing works, some are featured on sites like Helium.com.
" It is passion to inspire that moves me into a writing frenzy, where a brief pause is spent on a moment of reflection on the many creative ideas that can be expressed into written and visual forms... and the journey goes on.. "