If you want to be a writer, write.

Publishing, marketing, branding, selling, hawking, talking, publicizing, promoting . . . all those things are probably not what you long to do. You long to write.

So write.

Regardless of where you’re at in life, you have the ability to write. Maybe all day long. Maybe only ten minutes a day. But you can write.

I’m a writer and I write.

I’ve wanted to be a writer since third grade and that’s what I’ve been doing.

I was first published in 2000.

I started writing full-time in 2007.

The reality is that I might become a household name next year. Or I might need to change full-time jobs.

Whatever happens, I will still be writing.

I plan on writing until the day I die.

That’s the beauty of this craft, this work, this sport, this past time, this dream.

If God gives me many more years, I have the opportunity to hone my craft and become better.

It’s a cool thought.

Making a living and creating a brand and seeking world domination are not cool thoughts.

Telling a magnificent story—that’s an amazing thought. And an amazing dream.