A Writer Should Write

I'm a writer by trade - I actually get paid to write. Fairly well in fact. And there's dental.  Imagine this: a person will call me or show up at my office door, looking for  words.  I'll conjure up a few bon mots suitable for the occasion and this person will take them gratefully, glad there's an honest-to-goodness writer on the payroll, on call for any and all wordsmithing emergencies.  And that's pretty much what I do Monday to Friday...

But I'm lucky; jobs like mine are very few and very far between.  People who write really good, thoughtful, creative and beautiful words often don't get paid at all; they do it for love or because they are compelled.   I need to acknowledge and respect that, and wear this awesome, fortunate mantle a little more proudly: take my calling a little more seriously.

So starting today, I'm writing something every day.  And no, a 140 character Tweet doesn't count, despite the rigour and discipline required to communicate thoughts and feelings in such small medium - the Tweet is really the haiku of the 21st century.  But I'm still not counting it.