How to Be a Writer In a Thousand Easy Steps...or Maybe Just One

I'm a writer.

I’ve always been a writer.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been putting words on paper in some sort of creative fashion.

Let me clarify, though.  

Writing is my jam, but it’s definitely not my bread and butter!  

I’ve earned a living in a lot of different ways.

I’ve babysat, worked in a donut shop, and cleaned cabins at a summer resort.  

I’ve been a college English tutor, a high school math tutor, a preschool teacher, and a perpetual student.  

I’ve been a food server, a cocktail waitress, and a candy counter girl in a department store.  

I’ve been a realtor, a respiratory therapist, and I’m currently an RN.  

In my youth, I imagined being a fashion designer, a model, a television reporter, and/or a lottery winner (not necessarily in that order).  It’s safe to say those dreams went largely unfulfilled!  

I also aspired to be a wife, a mother, and a grandmother - jobs I think I’ve finally figured out and can truly say have brought me the most joy!  

All of those occupations -  both real and imagined - have been part of my past and my path.

And now here I am - half a century old - deciding I might like to give this writing thing a real shot.

I set a goal to have something published by the end of the year so I figured I’d better get started!  

But what next?  

Obviously, in this day and age, I went straight to the internet...to order some books to read.  

I’m old school, lol.  

There’s no getting around it.  

I anxiously awaited the arrival of some fat texts (NOT the kind you send on your phone) that would hold the key to it all.  

I found tons of great advice, a lot of which directed me right back to the internet.  Go figure!  

I can’t tell you how many articles there were outlining the steps to:

• Become a writer!  

• Get published!  

• Sell your book!  

I read plenty about what established writers, agents, and publishers recommend for us beginners to do. But not everybody is even on the same page!  However, I did notice one common theme...

Online Presence.  

It seems OP is crucial for aspiring authors in this modern world.  

There’s a lot of information floating around out there explaining how to establish an impressive one for yourself.

Apparently:

• You have to be somebody before you can become somebody, obviously!

• You need to gather a following before you’re headed anywhere.

• You must develop a fan base before you’ve done anything fan-worthy.

  

Ummm...okay!  Fake it til you make it?  

I’m a terrible liar, but at the same time, clearly creative by nature.  

So I weeded through the plethora of suggestions for developing social media personas.  I sorted through idea after idea and plan after plan until I settled on one simple jumping off point...

A Blog.

I’m not sure I’d even read a blog before I started writing this one.  

Apparently it’s a great way to connect with people, share your ideas, and put yourself out there.  An opportunity to blab about anything and everything or nothing at all.  Perfect!

So here I am writing one and here you are reading it!

Even though I’m pretty much clueless (the search bar is my new best friend), at the very least, I’ll get lots of practice with my writing.

I’ve heard that in a blog, you should write like you talk.

Well I hope you brought your listening ears and some snacks because I might be considered a chatterbox in some circles!

I have faith...

That you’ve got the time and the inclination.  

I do have a lot to say.  Not only in this blog, but in my writing in general.  And even if no one’s listening, I need to say it.

To be honest, I HAVE been saying it.  

It’s just that until now, I’ve been doing a lot of this “talking” to myself.  I’ve got random Word documents and a stack of notebooks to prove it.  

For whatever reason, I’m suddenly compelled to start sharing those heartfelt scribbles I’ve been collecting over the years.  And to add to the heap. 

The words keep piling up inside my head.  I want them to tumble out onto more public pages.  

I need to find out if they resonate with others and if you the reader can relate them to your own personal circumstances.

I want to know if my words: 

Encourage and inspire.

Motivate and rally.

Soothe and heal.

Make people take pause and remind them that we are all human beings with unique experience and emotions that can still be akin to our own.  

Or maybe just put them to sleep!

Mind you, I really have no idea what I’m doing.

But here's the thing...

It's okay to learn as you go!  

I don’t know much of the formal rules of poetry and literature, or anything of the worlds of professional writing and publishing.  

I don’t know the big names.  

Or any of the names really.  

I don’t know how it all works.  

I do know that I love to express myself through words.  

I take pleasure in weaving them together to create images on a page.  

I feel an ache to share what I write and an honest desire for this journey to be an authentic one.  

One that takes me wherever I end up.

Of course, I still have my everyday life to live.

It will likely monopolize this blog most of the time.  

Keep that in mind and be prepared for anything when you come here for the latest read! 

I’ll try to focus on talking about my writing, but you never know what you might get!

After initial housekeeping, I’ll primarily be sharing what I’m actually doing to get my poetry out there and published.

But from time to time, I’ll post some of my manuscripts, too.  

And then there will be the tangents my mind wanders off on...

I'll try not to let them lead the way!

 

And so it seems my blog is quickly becoming an online journal of sorts...is that how it’s supposed to work?!

I think that’s the thing about blogs.  They can be whatever you want them to be!

So there's only one thing left to do...

Go for it!

Part of me is petrified. 

Part of me is excited beyond belief. 

The rest of me is wondering...what in the world are you doing?  Who has time for that?!  The short answer to that question is...

This girl!

It wouldn’t be my first leap of faith - or my only try at something new and a little outside of my comfort zone this late in the game.  I went to my first night club at the age of 39, started nursing school at 47, and rediscovered rollercoasters at 51 just to name a few, but those are stories for another day! 📗

Anyway...welcome to my blog: Mimi in Blue Jeans!  Glad you’re along for the ride.  I hope you’re here for the long haul, however long that may be!  If not, that’s okay...feel free to move along...no hard feelings.

In reality, it doesn’t matter much where you’re going. 

It’s more about the road trip: 

• who’s in the seat next to you

• what songs you’re singing at the top of your lungs

• what you’re discovering - about each other, about life, about anything - along the way.  

So here goes nothing... 

and everything!

☎️    Call To Action

Have you ever put yourself out there and made a leap of faith?

Please share in the comments below!

📽  Coming Attractions

• What’s in a Blog?  No Really - What Is in a Blog??

• Seeing the World Through New Eyes - Literally!

✅    Check In

Here's an update on my progress since I last posted:
• New poetry submissions: 2
• New contest submissions: 0
• New pieces written: all of them (since this is my first post!)