To Those of You Who Are Bold Enough to Take on The Self-Aggrandizing Title, “Writer”

by Violet Ames

Welcome to the Wild and Bewildering you are about to Embark on. This is a Path not for the faint of Heart or weak of Mind. It is riddled with the Proverbial Bodies of our Talentless Ancestors, those whom may have Tried and Failed miserably. Don’t listen to Anyone who says “criticism is not personal,” for Art in any of its Capacities is deeply Personal. We take the Constantly-streaming thoughts, Wishes, and desires ever-running through our Deeply neurotic brains and hope that in some way we can speak Truth to Beauty, Pain, and the shared mundanity of being Human. Putting pen to Paper, or rather pen to Key, is thought to be the most trying endeavor.

But it is the struggle to find Space, the struggle to find Voice in a world saturated with Opinions and Beliefs and Points of View that is truly difficult. How can we be expected to Burrow ourselves in this Ever-growing, Ever-moving flow of Ideas? What is it about MY voice and musings on Life that are worth Listening to Over the crazed Man on the corner ranting and Raving on God, Sin, and, well, Fuck you Too? I am Merely a young, Baby fat, rosy cheeks and all. There are people Far more informed about Life, more capable of shelling out tokens of Wisdom than Myself. This is the Insecurity which will Chase you to No avail. And yet you must Strive forward and Extract the hidden Icon within yourself and Devote a Shrine to Her. You must Pray to her Daily and make Sacraments for Her. You must broadcast this Knowledge with a Naïve hope that Someone, somewhere will Find Kindredness in Her. No One will believe it as Truth until you insist it so. And so you must Plead with agents, Publishers, People who understand Talent—that this Voice you Have, speaking to you within Is in fact worthy of sharing and of Hearing. That while you are Still a Work-in-Progress, there are Facts of Life which you know well and True and can recite with Great confidence in front of the Class, even in your underwear. You must trust this intuitive force which Reverberates through your blood and Very Bones, telling you that despite evidence To the Contrary, you Know a thing or two about Love, loss, Or Acceptance. And as much as this Inner voice may Be self-seeking or misinformed to the outside, Your people will Cherish your voice and Will publish your Works so that others will Learn their inner voice. And this Sharedness will uplift them and Nod them with a Solidarity perhaps not present outside the written Page. And Finally the loop will be closed.

Good luck!