What is writing supposed to be?

Last night I was really upset because my mother is a crazy bitch so I wrote a poem. It didn't rhyme, I didn't over think it, I just wrote. And that is what writing should be. Pure, unplanned, raw emotion. I mean, that's not what it is for everyone. That's not why everyone writes, I know that, but to me, that's what it should be. You see, there is a very big difference between a writer and an author. I've been having some conflict between those two parts of me lately. I've been going through a lot of emotional turmoil, and in turn I've been writing a lot of that raw emotion and putting it into short stories (which I'm getting better at). I like these stories, but sometimes I just write to write and as a writer, it feels amazing. As an author, I'm pissed.

Of course if you plan on writing for a living, you will at one point probably be writing just for a paycheck. That can't be avoided but it's not what writing should be. That's what I like about not being published yet (although I wish I would hurry the hell up). I can take my time and write something meaningful without agents and deadlines swimming around my head.

So in conclusion, if you are a writer, keep it up. The world needs more of us to show what writing should be. And if you're an author, that's good too, but don't forget to listen to your writer side every once in a while.

Courtney Shaddock