For years when I was younger — even decades — I claimed I wanted to become a novelist. I worked hard for a long time to make that dream come true. And while I’m still working toward that goal little by little, there was a time, not long ago, where I stopped pursuing that goal. And it was a good thing I did.
I no longer believe that our writing goals stay the same as time goes on. Because we don’t, either. And what we want out of our writing lives SHOULD change with us, even though it’s not an easy thing to accept.
Things Won’t Always Turn Out the Way You Planned
I used to agonize over the fact that I hadn’t published a novel by the time I was 20, or 22, or 25. Maybe I even started to believe I never would. I’d get so down on myself for not trying harder or for allegedly not doing enough to get my career to where I wanted it to be.
Along the way, though, I still became a professional writer and editor, meaning that I’d still managed to make a career out of writing. It wasn’t the career I’d originally imagined, but I still got to wake up every day and write. Eventually, my desire to write and publish a novel would resurface. But as my priorities changed and shifted in my 20s, I put that dream on hold while I focused on more important things. And in the end, it has made me a better writer, and completely renewed my passion for fictional storytelling.
And You Won’t Always Want the Things You Once Did
We change as we grow. We have new experiences, meet new people, develop different interests, maybe even travel or move to new places. We become different people. You don’t want all the same things you wanted 10 years ago. Some things you’ve let go of simply because they no longer fit into your life.
When it comes to writing, our wants tend to shift and evolve as we do. I used to write personal essays; now I mostly stay away from that when I can help it. I tried writing a short story again this year, something I hadn’t done in decades. It’s not just our writing that evolves. It’s what we want to get out of it personally and professionally that changes too.
Your Core Writing Ambitions Will Never Truly Fade
No matter what, some key things about who you are as a writer and the importance it holds in your life will remain constant. If you start writing because it helps you to process the world and the things within and around you, that’s likely not going to stop being a reason you keep doing it. If you feel you were born with an unquenchable desire to share original stories with the world, in some way, you’ll probably always want to do that.
What that actually ends up looking like in practice and the results of that work might be different, in the end, than you always imagined. And that’s okay. I never thought I’d become a journalist and fall in love with interviewing. But it still fulfills all my original storytelling ambitions from when I was a kid. You never know what you’re going to learn from the experiences you never thought you’d have. Never be afraid to try something new. Your love of writing, if it’s true, will stay with you no matter where you take it.
