"WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW"

                            

                                                      You Are A Writer

One of the most defining moments of my life is when I finally discovered who I am and stepped into my purpose.

I realized that I was given unique gifts, by way of a creative mind, and an active imagination.  

I didn’t know what the swirling thoughts inside my head meant, or why I dreamt so vividly and remembered each dream.

The passion, the intent, the purpose, the detail, and the feeling that wouldn’t leave me because I knew they meant something. Even if I didn’t fully understand the importance of what this entailed.

Furthermore, once I awakened, the sensation stayed with me and left me unfulfilled. 

A forlorn awareness of homesickness, and longing for something and places I’ve never seen in real life or even been before.

This is when I knew that I was supposed to remember the dreams and write them down, every detail.

 It was the realization that they weren’t just dreams but stories. That I could no longer keep to myself and I had to share them with everyone.

I discovered a resourceful instrument, the power to wield words, like a mighty sword in the hands of a knight who rescued damsels in distress.

This is when I knew, I am a writer.

I could no longer deny the passion the clarity of my creativity, and if I didn’t write down what my inner source demanded of me. I felt as though I would lose my mind.

Go stark raving crazy because the stories inside my head held me, hostage until I paid the ransom and released them. They needed me to write their narratives and express through words exactly what they were trying to say.

Therefore, I obeyed. This undeniable sensation to act as the mediator, the defining voice for the characters living inside my mind and the readers waiting to hear their stories.

I discovered that I wasn’t crazy, and as I researched further the signs of what I believed to be some psychological disorder, turned out to be something tangible and quite prevalent among people who experienced the same symptoms.

Yes, folks, I am a writer.

Not to repeat this as a mantra or to convince myself otherwise because of self-doubt, but because it’s true.

The most common symptoms of this condition are the desire to scribble and jot down notes whenever you receive an idea or a scene flashes across your brain.

You are often caught daydreaming, or as I like to term it, working out plots in your head.

You people watch, listen to certain patterns of speech and communication from family and people you don’t know.

You pay close attention to mannerisms dialects and details.

Don’t worry this isn’t considered voyeurism, are creepy by most standards, but a clear sign of what I suspected for a long time, I am a writer.

The diagnosis is, is that it’s a quite common condition, the prognosis, you can look forward to a long career, and the prescription, write daily.

This is an incurable desire, not that you, God forbid, or I want to be cured because it’s a wonderful situation to have.

I’ve had many people to ask this same question, “When was the first moment you knew that you were a writer?” My response: “When I wrote a few lines and discovered I couldn’t stop until the story was finished.”

I remember a friend once shared with me their thoughts on a story I wrote as a practice session to “get my feet wet.” An idiom my elders used to express something you’re trying for the first time.

Essentially, he said, “I had to stop because I felt as though I was reading a diary.” This is when I realized that I was on to something major.

Because the story was filled with the right amount of emotion and enough chemistry that made him believe I was revealing some phase of my life or unshared truth.

The truth of the matter is, I discovered I had the power to construct a bridge to connect my dreams to reality. To create characters, plot lines, and situations fabricating stories without being called a liar. To use my gift for good and just a bit of evil.

Writers are compelled, driven by a recognizable force that dwells deep within them to be creative. It’s not something that you can turn on and off like a switch.

Once it is initiated, it continues into infinity. It is a certainty, something you have very little doubt of, controllable if you’re able to harness the power because it is very much a part of you.

Writing is an undeniable passion that comes from the spirit, the desire to transform lives through words.

It is how we communicate with others, speaking aloud inaudibly, touching without physical contact, and evoking emotion through the power of the written word.

We are not defined by what if’s, and or but. We are passionate free spirited and captivated by our thoughts, expressions, and the need to tell stories.

It is a God-given talent, that isn’t bestowed upon everyone, or intended for those who lack the ability to dream. To wonder about the unknown and create imaginative worlds based upon these essential elements.

To those who are fellow introverts and wondered why you seemed different from everyone else around you, this is probably the reason why.

I beseech you to follow your passions, dream big, explore your creative mind, and write from your heart.

Imagination is the gateway to the past, the future, and the present.

Live out loud through words, and never ignore your dreams.  

Chances are, you are a writer.