I have come across a lot of people who want to be writers in their own right. In fact its always good to encourage such talent.I know of a person whose only ambition in life was to write.He once narrated to me the difference between being a Writer and Writing.In most cases these people dream of wealth and fame,not long hours in front of the computer.
The reality is that writing is lonely,private and a poor-paying affair.For every writer kissed by fortune,there are thousands more whose longing is never requited.Even those who succeed often know long periods of neglect and poverty....He did!
When he first thought he would be a freelance writer,he had no prospects at all.What he had was a friend with whom he had grown up.The friend found him a home,a cleaned-out storage room in an apartment building.
After a year or so,however,he still hadn't got a break and began to doubt himself and his capabilities.It was so hard for him to sell a story that he barely made enough to eat.But he knew he wanted to write.He had dreamed about it for years.He would keep putting his dreams to test-even though it meant living with the uncertainty and fear of failure.This is a shadowland of hope,and anyone with dreams should learn to live there.
Then one day,he got a call that changed his life.It wasn't an Agent or Editor offering him a big job.It was the opposite- a kind of siren call tempting him to give up his dream."We need a new Public Information Assistant and we are paying 6,000 rupees.If you want it you can have it".
6,000 rupees!! that was a lot of money in 1960.He could get a nice apartment,a second hand car,pay off his debts and maybe even save some.What's more,he could write in his spare time.
As the rupees were dancing in front of his eyes,his mind was in a swirl.Something cleared up his senses suddenly like a thud.From deep inside a stubborn resolution welled up.He had dreamed of being a writer full-time."Thanks but no",he had heard himself saying."I'm going to stick it out and write".
