Can I Be a Best-Seller Yet?

So I want to be a writer. It's scary and I feel a bit lost and wish I could just jump to the part where I'm a best-selling author and I can live off of my passion for stories. Is there a fast forward button that I can use? No? Well, you see, that has been my problem lately. I'm impatient and intimidated by the long road ahead of me. I've been browsing writing blogs and many "How To" books hoping there is a straight checklist of tasks I must do and then I will suddenly be the best-selling author. There isn't one. What I do know is that it will take time, practice, and patience!

I happened across a good blog post over at LiveWriteThrive. In the post, Lakin talks about ways to "spark passion in your writing." I like the line that she wrote that says, "Don't just write a book to write one" (Lakin). The funny thing is, I do want to write a book just to write one. Don't get me wrong, I want to create something the reader is thinking about days after reading the last page. It's just that I've had people say to me throughout my life that I should become a writer, that I will be great at it. What happens when I do become a writer and what I have written doesn't matter or mean anything to anyone. That is my biggest fear that is holding me back from starting my first chapter. Rejection and not measuring up to my own high standards is enough to make me buy every "how to" book just to have it collect dust on my shelf for years. I have to get over that fear and start somewhere. That is my goal for the rest of 2016. I want to start my novel and share it with my peers periodically until I gain a thick enough skin to handle the sharks of the publishing world. Not to mention, growing as an author until I create something that is worth a reader's attention. Can I do it?

Stay tuned, internet.

P.S. If you have any advice or kind words to boost my confidence or help me improve, please, leave a comment below. I would love to hear from hopefully my future readers!

References: Lakin, C. S. (n.d.). 3 More Ways to Spark Passion in Your Writing [Web log post]. Retrieved from 3 More Ways to Spark Passion in Your Writing