To the aspiring dreamer: writing isn’t all it appears. One sentence in, and you believe you have it figured out. The strokes you place upon the paper, flawed and imperfect, shine like fine-cut diamonds. You envision yourself someday becoming a writer. Making a million bucks a minute for original content.

However, no one mentions that you die a little with every word created on paper, a cathartic way to spill pieces of your soul little by little. And your spirit cries out for freedom from your cage of flesh. The desire for eternal life grows in you, driven by the process of creation. A spark ready to ignite the burning passion for adventure in your writing.

You pay the toll of cramped hands and sleepless nights for penning your thoughts. But no one ever tells you that writing is never all it appears; you must be willing to take risks and follow your dream. To leave a legacy upon blank pages, you have to inscribe your nightmares with the ink. Even if rejection after rejection rips you asunder from the inside.

Writing may not be all it appears, but it becomes part of you the moment you start down its narrow path. You may not see it now, as balled-up papers litter the floor beside your desk. You may not believe it’ll lead anywhere; the voices in your head become your worst critic. But don’t give up.

No matter what it costs, live freely in the written words. Let them be your gospel, your testimony, your livelihood in a world shrouded in darkness. In a world determined to snuff out your creativity, don’t quit.

Be the candlelit flame for all to see. Keep the fire in your soul burning in a broken world. Let it be a guide to those searching for their happiness. Light your dreams like a comet to soar across a midnight sky glittering with the characters from every poem or story ever told.

Editor: Shannon Hensley