Jeff Goins - You Are a Writer

You Are a Writer
( S O S TART A CTING L IKE O NE)
B Y J EFF G OINS

You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) / by Jeff Goins

Copyright 2012 by Jeff Goins, Goinswriter.com . All rights reserved. Published in the United States by YourDigitalBook.com . First edition.

Cover design by Erin Marie Johnson, TheWanderingReader.com

You are welcome to use a short excerpt of this book for review or critique purposes.

For more information and other queries, contact jeff@goinswriter.com.

Contents

Foreword

Recently, I was reading a book about writing. In it, the author talked about how she just loved to write.

Teachers told her she was a good writer, and they encouraged her talent. Magazines were eager to publish her work. She was continuously encouraged to write and share, but there was just one problem: She didnt see herself as a writer.

Ive heard this kind of story numerous times from other writers: Everyone encouraged me to write, but I just didnt think I was good enough.

That story is not mine. Not exactly.

I was never told I was a natural or that I should consider becoming a writer. I liked to write here and there. Mostly poetry and bad, teenage drama poetry at that.

I often received negative marks on my English papers, and I cant remember one teacher telling me I was a good writer.

In college, I would regularly watch a paper I was proud of get torn to pieces by my professors. At my first job, I was plagued by the red pen of criticism. It haunted me.

The red pen isnt bad when its followed up with an encouragement, but without it, such a rebuke can be devastating. Those red marks spoke to me loud and clear: I was not a writer. I would cry and brush it off and just accept the fact that I wasnt a writer, until the day I realized I was one.

Then, I felt like a fraud. I had an audience and was writing, but I wanted to hide. I never felt good enough. What if I was found out and exposed?

But Ive learned something important about my audience: They think Im a writer. They believe something about me that Im still wrestling with. That I can actually do this thing called writing.

Its taken me four years of blogging, failing, and growing, to be able to say, Im a writer. You know why I say it now? Solely because I do the thing: I write.

I write every day and have the privilege of a platform where people come to read my writing. Its a gift, this thing we do this writing and the fact that people give us their time is a blessing we could never repay.

We have an opportunity. To write words that matter, to change lives with language.

Im a writer. I bet you are, too.

You have a unique privilege here. Jeff Goins is a day-in, day-out writer. He is diligent and focused and living his dream. Hes a writer, and he knows what it takes to guide you through this journey.

In this book, Jeff will inspire you to claim who you already are. Along the way, hes going to teach you some super-practical tips on perfecting the craft, expanding your platform, and getting your work published.

This book is a gift. Indulge in it. Then, turn around and give the gift of writing to someone else.

Sarah Mae, Writer

SarahMae.com

Introduction

Hi. My names Jeff. And Im a writer.

Like most writers, I like to write. Not sell myself, or pitch ideas, or wait for publishers to pick me. Just write .

Ive stumbled upon this idea, you see, that writers shouldnt spend their time doing what they dont enjoy. Instead, they need to do what they love. They need to write.

Sounds idealistic, right? But I believe this is the key to creating your best work.

So how do you just write? I mean, lets be honest. Weve all heard how writers need platforms and influence and great marketing, right?

But how do you do that?

Thats what this book is about. Its about falling back in love with your craft and building a platform, so you dont have to pitch or sell yourself. Instead, you can focus on what you were made to do: write.

Before we get into that, though, introductions are in order.

Why Listen to Me?

Im nobody special. Just a writer who got frustrated with a broken system and decided to do something about it.

This idea isnt new. Lots of writers are building platforms that earn them the chance to deliver a message. Theyre focusing on passion, and people are paying attention.

Thats all Im going to share with you nothing you couldnt Google on your own. There is , however, something that qualifies me to share this with you, something unique that I am quite familiar with: the frustrations of a writer.

The long nights. The thankless work. The bad pay. I know them all quite well.

But heres the rub: It doesnt have to be this way. There is a way out of this feast or famine cycle in which most writers find themselves. A way to even break the chains of fame and accolades, to spurn the addiction of an audience and create lasting work. A way for the gatekeepers to come to you .

There is a way for you to live what every writer dreams of: never having to write a proposal or query letter again. Never having to pitch, never having to compromise. Wouldnt that be great?

Ive learned the secret to writing for the love of it and getting acknowledged for your work.

And Im going to share it with you.

Writers Are Born, Not Made

Every day, somewhere, a writer is born.

She comes into the world with a destiny: to share her words and proclaim a message. To make a difference.

These words have the power to move and motivate strangers, to shake the earth and rattle the heavens. If only she would share them.

Its a choice, writing is. One that belongs to you and me. We get to choose it (or not) every single day. So whether or not the world hears your message whether you leave the impact you were born to make is entirely up to you.

Scary, isnt it?

There are, of course, thousands who wont make this choice. Theyll fail to be who they are and live up to their calling.

We will forever miss their words. And this is tragic.

The Would-Be Poet

Cole Bradburn is a chiropractor who longs to be a poet.

Most days, he works in an office, helping people improve their health. Secretly, though, he longs to make a difference with his words. Some day, he hopes. Maybe. If Im lucky.

Its not that Cole hates his job. He rather likes it. Which is the whole problem. Theres another life he longs to live, one that feels at odds with the one hes living.

The world, it seems, is full of people like this. Closet artists and aspiring authors, people longing to do meaningful work that inspires. Theres just one problem: Theyre not doing it.

Many of us worry about our lives, whether or not well make an impact. In the late hours or early mornings, we wonder what well be remembered for, what our legacy will be.

While some people are trying to make it through another week, others find themselves succeeding in the wrong thingsand despairing as a result.

Make no mistake. All of us at some point wonder if what were doing matters.

The answer taunts us. It whispers from afar. Keeps us wondering and waiting. All the while, deep inside our hearts, something dangerous stirs. Something were afraid to admit.

Creating a Legacy

Years ago, I was in Spain. As part of a college study abroad program, I was spending the fall semester of my junior year in Seville, a beautiful, historic city full of art and wonder.

On a very ordinary day, my friend Martha and I took a trip to La Giralda , the impressive tower adorning the worlds third-largest cathedral in the city. After ascending the massive spiral staircase, we gazed out an opening, overlooking the city. We looked down, watching thousands of souls pass by, from the place where Columbus was allegedly entombed.