I’ve wanted to be a writer for a long time.

I started writing stories in second grade. I’d make up Pokemon, draw picture books about myself, and I would make up stories about my Beanie Babies. I don’t think I knew being a writer was a career choice until I was in middle school. That’s when one of my teachers really pushed me to keep writing, and my passion for storytelling grew even more.

When the time came, I applied to the high school freshman honors English program at the local high school. I had to take a test and submit a writing sample. I was so proud of my story. It was a collection of letters between a father and daughter, and I thought it was good. I actually still have a copy of that story, but I’m too afraid to read it. When I was notified that I would be placed in the regular English class, I decided I didn’t want to be a writer anymore. I obviously wasn’t good enough, so I gave up completely. The only things I wrote were for my classes; I no longer wrote stories for myself. My dream had been completely shattered because I wasn’t perfect at it–and no matter what, there would always be better writers than me out there.

“My dream had been completely shattered because I wasn’t perfect at it.”

One of the dumbest things I ever did was give up writing because I didn’t think I was good enough. It wasn’t until I was in college that I started writing again. I was accepted to a local community college and had to take my placement classes. I was placed into the Honors English program, and that class gave me my passion for writing back. I realized that I had wasted so much of my life not writing when I should have been. I had initially given up because I thought I wasn’t good enough instead of practicing to get better.

The next time you feel like giving up, stop and remember why you were passionate to begin with. Keep that spark alive. The moral of the story is this: don’t let anyone else tell you what you can and can’t do. Instead, take that negative energy and create something. “Practice makes perfect” may sound like a cliche, but it’s one of the truest things I know. If you want to be a writer, a musician, an artist, or anything else, all you need is passion, hard work, and time.

Don’t give up. I know you can do it.