To Be, or Not To Be...

...A writer.

From time to time, and again recently, I've received comments on my blog, as well as emails, that have suggested that these folks are enjoying my writing; one person also suggested that I could be making money with it.  When I've read these comments and emails (over and over...and over again!), I have felt both honoured and flattered...I am so appreciative.

The truth is that I love to write.  Aside from being with my family, two of the things I love most to do are reading and writing.  I'd any day rather read a book or write something than watch tv in the evening (or do the cleaning that could and should be done!).  Indeed, my initial reason for starting this blog was to see if there was enough in me to actually write on a regular basis, to get into a habit of writing.  Well, it seems that there is a fairly constant stream of drivel!

The other thing that I really wish I could do is earn some money with my writing.  Ahh, did I really just write that?  Yup.  Did.  And even as I wrote it, I wished that I could have written it in tiny little letters that would be brave enough to exist but small enough to be overlooked.   Cause the admission of wanting something, really and truly wanting something, feels awfully vulnerable.  Writing is an odd thing.  It forces the one putting fingers to keyboard to reveal something of one's very essence; on the other hand, both friends and perfect strangers are free to take that essence and either resonate with it, or trash it - it's very quickly judged by the one reading it.  My admission of vulnerability turns you, dear reader, into someone who will immediately think one of two things:  yup, she could write well enough to do something with it and maybe earn some money; or, man, who's that chick kidding, thinking that she could write anything that someone else would read and maybe even pay for?

Beyond wondering if I have the talent needed, I also have not one hot clue about how to go about it.  I've written a few articles in the past year, but so what?  It's just a few articles.  What do I do with them anyway?  I have zero, and I mean zippo, interest in marketing myself; and, given my insecurities, you can probably imagine that I wouldn't be the best one to do this.  For example, did you know that I'm a licensed Norwex 'clean without chemicals' sales consultant and have been for something like two years?  I'm betting that not more than a handful of you know that...I can hardly bring myself to admit it, for pete's sake, for fear of people feeling obligated to buy!  I love the products, and use them, but can't sell 'em worth a hill of beans.  More importantly, I don't want to.  I've made no money on the stuff - when the occasional friend buys something, it just goes to fulfill the small quota that I have to sell to keep my license.  I'm just, like, really, really bad at selling stuff...how much more so if I had to sell myself??!  Sadly, I don't possess any of the the talents of my friend, Sandie, who could tantalize a cattle farmer into buying admission to a PETA conference.

So, what to do, what to do.  Nothing?  Anything?  What?  This is the question.