On being a novelist

I have had this feeling for some time that I hadn't put into a logical thought until today. It’s about being a writer, or more specifically, about being a novelist.

Since I have made my living as a working journalist for more than two decades, I have long since gotten over thinking of myself as a writer. It is a little harder to think of myself as a novelist, however. I am still at the ’aspiring novelist’ stage.

One of the things I started doing last month was acting like a novelist (instead of an aspiring novel, although I haven‘t gotten any business cards yet). Regardless of the freelance work I have to do, everyday I do something as a novelist __ whether it’s poring over material in search of an agent, re-working a portion of “Fighting Chaos” or, as I have been doing lately, working on my second novel. (It’s going well, by the way. I have almost gotten 10 percent of it done in slightly more than a week. But I haven‘t gotten to the hard parts yet. Talk to me next week.)

I was reading my Writer’s Digest today and saw where Isaac Asimov apparently once said, “If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.”

When I saw that I realized more than in any other way that I am a novelist. If I had a short time to live, I would write a hell of a lot faster. I wouldn’t give up doing other things I loved or wanted to do. But would write faster. I have a lot t say and I am getting on with saying it.

You should, too. If you want to be a writer, then do what a writer does. Write. Don't just dream. Write.

Thanks for reading and, like Issac Asimov, keep writing.