This is a letter from me, to every writer in the world who happens upon this. As a singe of back story, I was reading through various works, and one of my all time favorite writers recently updated their profile to state that for whatever reason, they will no longer be writing.

I cannot possibly express how much this news crushed me because I know what writing has done for me in my life, and the very idea of a fellow writer giving up and walking away left me with a cold feeling that I can't properly explain even now.

In response, I wanted to write a bit of encouragement for this online community and anyone who might run across it. I hope it lifts you up and inspires you.

To all you writers out there,

I know how hard writing can be. I know that at times you are ripping out your hair because your readers are sending you threatening messages (again.) and you promised them an update dang it. I know that at times you don't always have the right words, and I know that even when you try your very best, there are times that you just can't seem to get that paragraph to a satisfying end. (I'm sure that this time you'll get it though! Ninth time's a charm!)

I know you've stayed up far too late into the night writing because you would not loose that new found inspiration, and I know that many class notes you've taken are also doodled with random ideas and thoughts about what you want to write about next.

Being a writer is tough!

We look like average people at first glance, but there is so much more to us than meets the eye, isn't there? We are artists by nature and see life as more than a day to day existence, but a living breathing tale that is ours to create. As we live and experience, our writing grows with us. Our voices grow louder and stronger. We write about things that make our pulse quicken, make us laugh, make us cry, but most importantly, things that make us feel alive.

That's always been a mystery, hasn't it? It seems the more we write about others, the more we learn of ourselves. We learn acceptance, we learn patience, and we learn to see beauty even in the worst of situations. We learn, because we have journeyed within our own writings. We have tasted adventure, flown through time, and felt the devastation of loss.

To all you writers out there,

I implore you.

Please don't stop.

Please never stop this wonderful expression of who you are. You are the only person that can tell your tale. No one has had your experiences; no one has had your vision, and no one can explain your views. Only you can add your voice in a way that is just you.

Please stop listening to the lie that says you are not good enough. Your thoughts, your ideas, and your expression, are not cliché. Your efforts to create are not bad, and are not without talent.

I implore you to stop feeling second rate to that other person that is so much better then you. They aren't! Perhaps you enjoy how their thoughts come across or the great idea they had, but that does not mean your own ideas are bad, or invalidated. It only clarifies that you are two different people.

Don't let their work bring you down as you realize you still have that room to grow – let it inspire you and push you onward. You, dear writer, come from a proud legacy of artists who have been building up from each other's work for centuries! There is no need for you to feel under par, or unworthy.

Please, please do not give up.

I don't care what you write about. I don't care if it's dirty, clean, written in all caps, or only sixty-eight words long. It matters. It matters because writing is freeing, and it matters because I know it is a part of your very identity.

Again, I know writing is hard, but I hope you see how worth while this self discovery is. It isn't always easy to find the motivation and determination to continually push past all the negativity and strive to create, but we are all in this together. We have all felt the frustration of writers block, and have all chased our friends down countless times to read the new paragraph we just came up with. We have felt the failures, but also (thankfully) the success. Each time we manage to accomplish that new chapter, a euphoric feeling of accomplishment washes over, and for a moment it seems the entire world is at rest.

It is so, so worth it.

So to all you writers out there,

Don't drop your pen.

Please don't give up.

Hopefully this was relatable to everyone. I had to put my voice out there in hopes that perhaps this gives someone more resolve to keep trying, past what others may say. I didn't quite know how to file this on the site here so hopefully no one is offended by how I catagorized this. I wish all my fellow authors well. Thank you for all that you do.

Midnight