I AM a writer

Last night I attended a required session for one of my classes where we talked about scientific writing and the following questions were asked:

1. Who considers themselves good at writing?

2. Who considers themselves a writer?

To the first question a few hands waved half heartily, while two hands stood firmly - my roommate's and mine...

To the second there was an even weaker reaction.  

The whole time the seminar was going on the reaction to these questions mulled in my brain...

The speakers point was that we are all writers and more importantly rewriters - just as we do research (not just search) and that we should be confident in our abilities.  She gave 10 tips on good writing - but I think she left out the most important thing:

In order to be a good writer, you must write for yourself.  If you would not read what you write - no one would.  

This is the power of the blog is it not?  When you blog you don't just blog to see how many comments you get (or lets hope not because my numbers are really pathetic).  You blog to write, to share, to express that which you have discovered about life.

Scientific writing is the same - you're sharing what you've discovered, what you've researched.

The point of this blog isn't to critique the seminar because it was actually well done.  The point is for me to declare that I am a writer as I declared as I raised my hand to question #2 and as I have declared with each and every entry to the blogspot abyss.

I am a good writer and a good story teller - I can write about a variety of topics: birds, botany, baseball, politics and much more, AND I can share enjoyable experiences about each thing.  

I didn't need some lady to tell me that last night, I've known it all along.  I would, however, like someone to tell me I'm a good artist... but then again... looking at my notes from last night that I turned into cartoons instead of a slur of uninteresting words... it might take a while to get there. ;-)