Margaret Atwood. I want to be like her when I grow up!

Internationally renowned Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood, is a force to contend with. I’ve seen her speak, and her wit never fails to catch me off-guard! Margaret isn’t exactly small potatoes. She’s a Canadian novelist, poet, and literary critic. She’s best known for her dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. Margaret has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, 9 collections of short fiction, 8 children’s books, 2 graphic novels and much more. But even Margaret Atwood had to deal with someone who tried to squash her writing.

She shared a story of when she was in university.

A faculty advisor told Margaret to, ” Forget all this writing and graduate student stuff and find a good man and get married.”

Her response?

“You’re an idiot.”

And thank goodness that idiot didn’t derail her confidence and stop her from writing!

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Most writers have had someone tell us that:

“You can’t write.”

“You’re not creative.”

“Writers don’t make any money.”

“No one will read it.”

“Why are you writing? Nothing will come of it.”

“You can’t make a difference.”

The kicker? These words are often said by people who have no credibility or writing talent. And if you’re not careful? Their words can sink deeply into your body until you think they are part of your DNA.

A faculty advisor told Margaret to, ” Forget all this writing and graduate student stuff and find a good man and get married.”
Her response?
“You’re an idiot.”

I want to remind you of something.

Writers write because it calls to us. We love words and we want to express ourselves in this world. We don’t sit down to write a bestseller. We write because there are stories that keep happily waving a green flag at us. Get going! You need to share this!

It’s as simple as that.

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Have you ever had someone try to squash your writing?

First of all, with all due respect to the person who thought they knew better than you?

They didn’t know your writing heart. They didn’t know what was inside of you.

I know this is a touchy subject. But it’s time to grind off the pointy bits. Are you ready?

Why not take a few minutes to write about who or what happened to squash your writing dreams.

Drag that sucker out into the sunlight and fresh air. Let the bitterness or sadness face the light of day and the person you are now.

Tap into your inner Margaret Atwood! You’ll be surprised at how good it feels to face that feeling head on. And it will open the writing door, oh-yes-it-will!!

As for the idiots? The power they once held over you is long gone.

I kid you not, my darling writer!

*Did you love this? Then check out Scribbly – my quirky and gentle writing program that we snail-mail right to your home. Each issue has a theme, so all you have to do is follow the path! We make writing easy and fun for you. We’re nice like that.