Going back to my beginnings, I hope you enjoy “Writer,” written sometime between 2008 and 2010.

A challenge has been issued. Will you rise to the occasion? You brought this on. You said you were willing and able so here’s your test. Are you prepared? You seem—shall we say—Confident. But truth often mumbles, while words climb in pitch. So give it a try. You’ve preached a thousand times, stroking your ego, but without taking action, don’t expect a reaction.

Sit down and stare at the monitor, then begin with a title and a word. Embrace the solitude, the freedom, the intellectual journey. Encased by four walls you have only yourself to accept praise, or the brunt of the blame. This experiment might be a success or a notable failure. Now that you’ve come this far what do you see? Is it just an illusion? A blinking cursor? An empty screen? The game must be played. Fill the page before you with life, with black. Then fill another, and another, never look back. Fill the pages with meaning, with feeling, with heart. Believing breeds creation and this craft is about sharing and never despairing.

Welcome to a place where education has no bearing, neither where you’ve been nor where you are heading. The most important factors are honesty with one’s self and unwavering desire to persevere and when in doubt to get help. If you think this first part is hard, it only gets harder. You haven’t even begun to grasp the most important facets. Sadly, there is no promise of green or accolades. The rewards of accomplishment and creation are all you’ll have. With them alone you’ve got it made. Are you ready to sweat? Are you ready to bleed? Do you still harbor the need? C’mon, give it all you’ve got. Extract the visions from your mind and begin transcription. Follow your intuition. Navigate the cerebral pathways. Tap the keys with repetition—Click, click, click.

It may take hours. It may take days, weeks, months, longer in fact, just to finish the framework, then on to the final act. But this is the process, you can prosper or wither away. Don’t like what you hear? Do you feel something strange? Out of the ordinary? What do you fear? Can’t find the inspiration? The rhythm? Then you must dig down deeper inside, into that burning pit. Did you find something useful?

Yes! Yes! Words are igniting, coming to life. The flame is flickering, strong and bright. Your brain refuses to tire. Your imagination is on fire. Whatever you do don’t douse the flames. Let them burn. That’s the fuel that you’ll need—the seeds—the fertile soil that never flourishes if left unturned. Isn’t the sensation inviting? There’s energy in your fingertips, new life coursing through them. Your mind is on fast-forward, your heart thumping onward, beating forcefully against your chest. You must hang in there and remain strong. This way of life demands nothing short of your best. The page is suddenly full, alive from top to bottom—side to side—an accomplishment all your own. But this is where what you’re made of is truly put to the test. Will you come back for more? Or have you no time to play? Are you just another that could have been? Or will you return again later with new-found desire? Perhaps reach even higher? If you’ve conquered phase one it’s time to continue pushing yourself toward new levels of awareness.
Let your craft breathe, be possessed by it, succumb to it, share it.

Most importantly of all...be it.

Be a writer!

In Memory of Ed Minus.