We know when we are in the presence of greatness;

“like an elegantly articulated brushstroke or a perfect piece of music, or even a flawed one, you know it when you see it. It fills you with a flush. It holds your breath for you. You know you’re in the presence of extraordinary when there’s just no guessing.”

That is such a brilliant line from an episode of Everwood and it really resonated with me.

I know this feeling. I’ve had it after reading a good book. In fact, that thought held me back from writing for a really long time. As an English major, I dissected literature with a keen and sharp eye. I noticed the brilliance in everything I read and realized that I didn’t have what it takes to write. I just didn’t have the natural ability that these authors seemed to have.

I fell into the commonly held belief that writing is a mysterious activity. Most people can’t write well. It’s something that you are born with.

Of course, this isn’t true. It took me some time to realize this but since then I have managed to write a screenplay, a verse novel, a young adult novel, and a literary novel.

I believe that there is a story within everyone that yearns to be told. The problem is that most of us don’t realize that this is even the case. And the few of us who do, have no idea how to even go about the process of writing.

People usually have plenty to say, and as Tom Romano writes, “They simply [don’t] recognize their own material as worthy of writing.”

So, what can you do?

Just start writing. Tell your story however you see fit. Write a journal, an essay, turn a life moment into fiction, start you novel.

Go write!

You have something to say and people who will want to hear it.