I was skimming through one of my writing groups the other day and noticed a disturbing trend. There were questions about story development, specific scenes and even questions asking for help to improve and develop writing skills.

I’m sure they were written from the heart, but the role of a writer is to weave words together to form a story — your words into a story you develop. While writing can always be improved, it’s disingenuous to ask others to write for you. The work then becomes their work and their story line. That’s also one of the reasons I am not a big fan of writing apps and programs. They are great technical tools in the toolbox, but unfortunately they can also take away your creativity.

I’m a believer everyone has a story to tell, but that shouldn’t be translated as everyone is a writer. Writing is hard work, often with pages and pages and pages being crumpled {sorry, old school} before the first readable paragraph takes form. Writing takes discipline, but more  knowing when the muse is speaking to you. Take it from experience, it’s usually not the hour or two you’ve “blocked out” to write. Writing means research … lots of research.  Writing is serendipitous. A glance, a sound, a random thought might be the trigger to string the words together. And, most of all, writing not only comes from the mind, but also from the heart, linked together by your soul.

As an author, I want my words to resonate with you. I want you to feel my emotion. I want you to feel my passion. I want you to be part of the story line. I want you to say, “Yup, that’s me … my story … my experience.” I want you to be engaged, not as a passive reader but as an active mental participant.

Sometimes I succeed. Other times I don’t. Always I try. And the same goes for each and every one of us who call ourselves writers and/or authors.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality. — Plutarch