I'm writing...now what?

I've been feeling a little accomplished lately, so I decided it was time to squish my high spirits.  Actually, I decided it was time to research next steps.  The squishing of my spirits was a unfortunate yet inevitable side effect.  I wanted to get published.  So, I read articles from writing organizations and writers to see what their advice to me was.


Each article detailed the long and arduous road of getting published.  It told of a struggle that lasted years.  It detailed the hundreds of rejections.  It told of project after project that would never know an audience.  Writing is not for the faint of heart and I was starting to become faint. 

The writers also had conflicting pieces of advice.  Just do it.  Don't just do it- practice then do it.  Write what comes naturally.  Think outside of your comfort zone.  Use natural language.  Use thought provoking language.  By the end of the night, I thought my head would explode.

In the end, none of it mattered.  I spent a day reading what someone else's ideas on writing were.  I had hoped for inspiration by people I admired.  There were very few articles that achieved that end.  So, I ended up back at the beginning, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  In the end, I know what I know and that is that I'm a writer.  Whatever profession I hold, I'm a writer.  My identity as a writer goes beyond a paycheck, beyond what's on my business card.  Writing is what I do.  Right now it's what I do for fun.  Hopefully it will become something that will be shared with others.  I just need to keep doing it.