“You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One).” By Jeff Goins. eBook. 2012. 101 pages.
Jeff Goins, the writer of a very popular writing blog, has just published a new eBook that will rejuvenate even the most jaded, cynical writer. Even if you’re not a writer, this book invites you to consider the choices you’re making and whether those choices are leading to the life you want.
The central theme of “You Are a Writer” is summed up in a seemingly simple statement a friend told Goins one day when they were talking about their dreams: “You are a writer. You just need to write.”
Thus began a journey of growth as a writer and an understanding of how he wanted to live his life.
Goins makes a strong point that you don’t need anyone’s permission to think of yourself as a writer, to call yourself a writer, to be a writer.
If you want to be a writer, then write.
And that’s what Goins did. He began getting up at 5 a.m. and wrote before going to work. In the evening after work, he wrote some more. He wrote on lunch breaks and during spare moments. He stayed up late writing and wrote on the weekend too.
He started doing what he referred to as showing up as a writer, and his life changed: “I found my dream not by searching for it, but by submitting to what I had always hoped was true: I was, in fact, a writer. All I had to do was write.”
Goins began having more success with his writing, and he uses a good portion of his book to lead writers through the steps of building a platform—which is more about relationships than marketing, in his view—and creating channels for his writing.
He also gives advice on submitting work for publication and building a writing career.
Goins places his writing in the context of the good his ideas and words—the ideas and words of all writers—can do for the world: “Until you acknowledge this—that you are a writer—you are depriving the world of a gift it longs for. One that stands the test of time. One that could leave a legacy.”
Goins doesn’t give technical writing advice. His interest, and what he succeeds in doing, is in helping writers realize that they don’t have to wait for the writing life to come to them. They can do things to build their own success.
It occurred to me as I read this book that Goins’ philosophy extends to more than writing. Wanting to leave a legacy and wanting to do meaningful work are not desires limited to writers.
Anyone who wants to take a step beyond just wanting to make a difference and actually acting to make a difference will gain insight from this book.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all writers and to anyone who wants to be inspired to live a better life.
Prepare to not only be inspired when you read this book. Prepare to get to work. Because you will want to.
This book should be available soon. I will post a link to it as soon as I have it.
Note: I received a free advance copy of this eBook for agreeing to review it on my blog. The opinions expressed in this review are mine.
What books have you read that were particularly inspiring to you?
