So many people—often those who are successful in their chosen fields harbor buried urges to write, paint, or express some other artistic urge that they’ve always denied themselves. They want to write a book.
I wonder how many of them, when they come to the ends of their lives, feel tremendous regret at having failed to fulfill this longing.
Don’t let that person be you.
The Urge to Write
If the urge to write is your long-buried desire, it’s never too late to begin. Some people start by taking a writing course.
But is that really all it takes? I know so many people who picked a course that sounded right for them. They were going to sign up any day now, as soon as the tax season, as soon as they replaced that irreplaceable employee . . . you get the idea.
The Urge Not to Write
It wasn’t time constraints that held them back. What stopped them was the fear of taking the risk of writing. Long ago, when they were young students, maybe they never got praised for their writing. Maybe they got back compositions with words crossed out or circled, with angry red writing in the margins.
They didn’t know that their teachers were over-worked and almost literally buried in compositions to read and grade. They didn’t know that such teachers were only going to praise those students whose writing was so good that they almost made the work of teaching worth the long hours and aggravation.
They only knew that their sincere efforts went unnoticed and unrewarded. Their memories of failure endured.
If any of this applies to you, take heart. It’s never too late to learn. You’re no longer a kid in a crowded classroom. You’ve proven to yourself and the world that you have gifts that serve your company and maybe the world. You’ve learned a lot about life, and you have a lot of material to write about when you want to write.
If you begin now, you probably won’t win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The New York Times may not put your book on the best seller list. However, with the right course or the right mentor/coach, you can learn to fulfill your writing dream.
People are doing it every day, and they don’t view age as a barrier. Many people over the age of 70 take writing courses in senior centers.
I know people who want to write but don’t have the time or stamina to labor over their work. They hire a ghostwriter to capture their expertise and write in their voice, finding it so much easier to produce a book without the need to write.
You’ve proven yourself a success in what you do. Take that feeling of success and apply it to a new field. You owe it to yourself to realize your dream. Write your book yourself or work with a ghostwriter. Either way, get it done!
Pat Iyer is an editor, author, book coach and ghostwriter who helps individuals create books that allow their expertise to shine and advance their businesses. She has written or edited 49 books.
