Who are writers?

So, I was thinking about today's blog & I decided to talk about writers. Who are we?

So many times we just pick up a book and read it. The authors are faceless names to us. We enjoy their words, but have no idea if that was them we just passed by on the street. Who are these writers that give us their words and their work?

Are writers agoraphobes and recluses? Is that crazy cat lady two houses down a writer? Are they strange people? Do they speak or act differently from the rest of us? What do they look like? What kind of lives do they lead?

Well, this may come as a shock to you, but writers are regular folk. Yep, it's true. Some of us are reclusive, others live it up. That crazy cat lady may be a writer, or she might just an elderly, lonely person. Some writers might be strange, and some may not be. Depends on what your definition of "strange" is. Some writers will speak or act in certain mannerisms, but others will speak and/or act in other mannerisms. There is no one particular look for writers. We come in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, religions, orientations, all walks of life. And we even have car troubles some times (gasp)! So, yeah, we blend in with everyone else. Really, what were you expecting? Little green people? LOL.

Who are we? Well, some of us are people who have been writing all of our lives. I began writing novels before I was even 10. I was nationally published for the first time at age 14, but really got a broader audience by having the same piece published in a textbook (also nationally) when I was 17. In elementary school, I had teachers calling me a writer (one actually had an article in a teaching periodical specifically saying that even at such a tender age, I was "indeed a writer."). My vocabulary and my love for the written word far surpassed that of my "colleagues." Do I have a degree in English? No. In fact, all I have is an associates degree for the medical industry. Now, some writers have Ph. D.'s or even multiple degrees; some writers may have just stumbled into it and realized they have a talent. We're not all alike. Some writers just write. Some writers are also cops, paramedics, secretaries, mothers, health care professions - you name it! They can be anything!

Some writers you may automatically know what they look like. Steven King is a prime example. He's an author whose face is emblazened in our brains. But, how many writers are there out there like him? Not many. In fact, most writers are people like me. Ordinary people. You'd never know I was a writer if you just saw me walking down the street or driving in my truck. But that's okay. I'm proud of what I do and who I am, but I don't need a flashing neon sign for it either.

When I write, I give you more than my words. I give you my emotions, my soul. My writings come from deep within myself. These are not just stories. These may be demons of my past, or the kind of life I would like to live. There is a huge part of me in everything I write. Whether it's my utopia or the hardships I've endured in my own life, there is always a ring of truth (and a piece of my heart) to everything that I write.

So next time you pick up a book, take a look for that author's picture. There's far more to that person than you may ever know.