A Knight in Shining Armor: The Writer’s Manifesto by Jeff Goins

As I mentioned in my Books, Books and More Books, I was the kid under the covers with the flashlight long after bedtime curfew. Not only did I like to read, but I also liked to write. As a child, I doodled and wrote diary entries. It was warm today. I went to school. Playing dodge ball was fun. I had to work in the barn tonight. I hate barn work!

As a teen … I had a pen and a notebook tucked safely under my pillow and my writing morphed from diary entries to journal meanderings. I’d process frustrations and relive special moments or take details of my day and craft a different story from them. I wrote simply because I could. Rarely did I share what I wrote with others.

It wasn’t about that..

In my 20′s and 30′s … life was busy, as a wife, parent and business owner, I read less and rarely wrote anything other than business and marketing plans.

Then life changed … the accident forced me from a busy, active life to being in a recliner more hours a day than not. Thankfully there was a world available at my fingertips. At first I only read, but then I started a blog. It was fun … seeing my words on the screen. Again that was enough … I didn’t care if anyone read them.

It wasn’t about that.

As I clicked around the web, I found many terrific blogs … with excellent writing. The posts were brilliant, challenging, inspiring, intelligent and/or funny. They had comments … some had lots of comments. My own blogging began to look pale and grey. I changed how I blogged … trying to copy, imitate and/or be the writers I liked. I wanted to be read and to get comments.

It became all about THAT..

Blogging lost the joy it first brought me. So I tried harder. I tried to tailor my writing, find my niche and generate comments. At times, it worked … but too many times, I’ve found myself frustrated with blogging. Blogging sabbaticals (sabbatical has a more worthier ring to it than break does) can be good, but I took too many.

Sometimes I want to quit … but yet I realized I cannot not write.

Away from the public eye, I wrote in my journals … honest, raw and real. And I wrote my story. Writing to heal, to grieve, to process and to inspire. That writing journey was key for my healing. Time will tell whether or not, it inspires.

But I want to blog … and I want to enjoy it!

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Thankfully a rescue has come … a handsome book on a shiny white screen.

by Jeff Goins

Along with kicking butt at his blog recently, Jeff has written an e-book for writers and others. It’s exactly what I needed to remind me …

It’s not about THAT.

That need to be read and adored …

In The Writer’s Manifesto, Jeff reminds us that writing for that need will corrupt the art and the pure desire to create. Instead we need to remember …

To wonder

To dream

To express

To begin … every day.

To show up and use the gifts we have.

If you struggle with being YOU … and doing what YOU feel called to do. That thing (it may be writing, it may be something else) that is uniquely YOU … read The Writer’s Manifesto today!

It’s a short book … it will take less time to read it than checking Facebook again and you will be inspired instead of scrolling through pictures of someone you hardly know.

It’s available at The Writer’s Manifesto and it’s FREE, seriously FREE!

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Go, get it and read it … what are you waiting on?

Jeff, thanks for reminding me that it’s not about THAT … but it’s about writing because it’s who I am and

because I can!

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