EVERYBODY'S GOT ONE

Whatever kind of writing you do - whether it is non-fiction, fiction, or a combination of
everything and a little bit of this or that, all writing has one thing in common. This common thread weaves its way in and out of all our written words. You can’t see it or
touch it but you know its there. It wakes you up in the morning and it gives you rest at night. You can’t leave it at home and you can’t run away from it. This phantom shadow will be your companion from the first time to sit down and put pen to paper. It will be there when you send out your first piece of writing to an editor, and it has front row seats when you are published.
This secret partner of ours wipes the tears, quells the fears, and allows us to continue on the journey we have chosen. EGO - ( E-verybody’s G ot O ne). Yep, you guessed it - there it is as big as life. You may say that your EGO is perfectly controlled and you can handle anything. Okay, and the moon is really made of cheese, too.
Let’s face it - without ego we would not care about getting our words out so others can read them. We would not try to reach perfection with each article, short story, or novel.
Never would we overcome that first rejection - it’s after all directed at us personally.
They can’t do that - I know its a good article - so if they don’t want it I’m sending it somewhere else. (signed) Your Ego.

That infamous three-letter word can bring fear into the lives of anyone who stands on the path we are trying to walk down. No matter how much darkness envelopes our mind, we will come up with new ideas. When the rain begins, we take to reading the masters and try to figure out what that special “thing” is that made their books last for generations. When the sun finally comes, there it is. It brings that certain smile to our faces, and our heads are held high by this “thing.” We know we can do it again and we have now left our mark on the literary world. Ego takes us by the hand and pushes us down in front of that computer whenever there’s a spare moment and even Holidays are not immune from this taskmaster. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Ego. If you are a published writer, or an aspiring writer, accept the fact that there is this one common imp all writers have. It will never harm you if you treat it well, however, it does have a twin. This twin is called “Have arrived.” Sorry, no writer worth their salt will ever feel they have written enough or that people will accept anything they put out. This evil twin has destroyed many a promising career and the perpetrator stands there in shame as the “good twin” takes another author down a lifelong path of devotion and dedication.
Treat your ego with the respect it deserves. Know it has no limits and it can be the most beneficial drive in your entire writing quest. Never allow the thought or worse yet, the very words “Have arrived” to ever cross your lips. It’s when we feel we have arrived that we stumble and fall. We are tripped by the very thing that brought us to endure the long hours and hard work of sharing our hearts and souls with people we probably will never meet or have the pleasure to know. These unknown individuals will read us, judge us, and pay hard-earned money to own what we created. They will always have the last word -

©Arleen M.Kaptur 2002