This month marks the launch of The Write Life Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for writers, edited by Laura Pepper Wu of the fabulous writing blog 30 Day Books. I had the honor of contributing to this inaugural issue, on the theme of “What Writing Means to You”.
Watch this killer trailer for the magazine, and read an excerpt from my contribution below!
What Writing Means to Me: My Give and Take with the World
As I write this piece, I am overcome with anticipation, excited to read how the other writers answer this question. It’s so big, and yet so basic to what we do. And no one will say exactly the same thing as another.
This excitement about sharing and connecting with others has become, over the years, what writing means to me. It’s a far cry from the selfish hours I used to spend penning pre-adolescent thoughts in a hot-pink diary alone in my room — but we all have to start somewhere.
Now, writing is all about the community. It’s become that, because now I share my writing, and it has by some beautiful twist of fate built a community around me. It’s what keeps me fed, so it is no longer mine, but belongs to everyone who chips in to help support me. Writing is what defines my brand, so it’s not only the words I put together, but it’s every business decision I make and every hour I spend considering my future and organizing my present.
I write few words for myself anymore.
Even when I write in my journal — because I still do, and, yes, it’s still a hot pink notebook — I am always digging for some kind of brilliance to emerge, something I could turn into a blog post, magazine article, or book. I write under the pressure of hundreds of eyes, even when I’m completely alone. What will this mean to them? How will this help them? Why would they read this? Would they write it differently? >>
To read on, check out thewritelifemagazine.com, and grab The Write Life mag app for iPhone, iPad, Android, or Kindle Fire.
