You Are Enough

This blog entry is for a contest:  You Are Enough, hosted by Positive Writer.

I write fiction.  I've got two completed novels under my belt, a work that's either a short story or a novella depending on your definition, and one work in progress that is likely to end up in the same nebulous category.  I also have a "Barbie Blog" in which I tell photo stories with dolls.  I've written a few fan fictions.  Those who have read my work tell me it's good, but almost none of it have been shared with the general public.  What's the point of writing if not to be published, to make a little money, to put it out there?

The purpose of this, my usual blog, is persuasive writing.  If I can't convince my readers to agree with me, I hope to bring them to an understanding of my position.  Today I intend to convince you that You Are Enough.

Storytelling is as old as mankind.  Most societies have had a special place for the spinners of tales.  I feel sorry for the ones who don't, to be perfectly frank.  Stories are how groups transmit values and history. If you are a storyteller, you are part of that tradition.

Has your writing touched another?  Writing fiction in any form is creating worlds.  (In the case of fan fiction, expanding upon a world created by another might be more accurate.)  You are populating these worlds with people.  Bringing these fictional people to life, making them real, is an accomplishment in and of itself.  Making your reader care means you succeeded, even if the reader is "just your sister". 

Have you held your own in a civil debate?  To present a position and defend it is a victory.  To convince others to join you, even more so.  Even realizing you have faulty logic is a win - you learned something.

If you have not yet touched or convinced a reader, don't despair.  Hone your craft and you will eventually do so.  For the time being, focus on why you are enough for yourself.  Some of my early writings, technically speaking, were garbage.  If you are at this stage, know that improvement is possible.  You have it in you to do so.

Writing is art.  Art is, at the core, about self-expression.  The desire to create, to persuade, to touch another, is enough.  You are that desire.  You are enough.  And so am I.