Too many authors and not enough natural born writers

I began to realize I was a natural-born writer at the age of 12. A good friend and I would share stories about horses in our seventh-grade history class. I began writing detail in diaries at age 14. I amazed my cousins when I was 16 by composing a fake letter to a pretend boyfriend using the titles of the many soap opera’s that were on television at the time. Fast-forwarding I wrote for a local newspaper from 1999-2009. During that time many people asked when I was going to write a book.

No one seemed to understand that I did not have the money to publish a book. Later I became distressed at the idea of publishing a book because of what I had seen in church. I was a member of a local assembly that was part of the Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship. Almost all of the pastors in this organization had 2 thing in common. They were Bishops and had written books. These were self-published paperbacks that were marketed during church services.

I made the mistake of purchasing a few and reading others by checking them out of the church library. I mean no disrespect but none of these books had anything interesting and I heard other disappointed church members saying the same. I quickly came to the conclusion that these preachers had not been born with a natural gift for writing but had the money to self-publish and then peddle their wares to unsuspecting church members.

I saw this as another way to fleece the sheep and then say "Look how God has blessed me." I became even more frustrated when people that I knew as well as some I met on Facebook began promoting their self-published books online.I recall asking a few how many books had they sold and it turned out not many. When two people said I should self-publish I told them very frankly that when my tree fell in the woods there would be people around to hear the sound.

I did not want to self publish just for the sake of saying I published a book but have no one purchase it. The preachers who sold their books to church members did not have anyone outside fo the churches to visited to buy what they were selling. I am not judging any one person because if you have the money you ca publish as many books as you desire. I am processing that when I was a child the library was filled with books and many authors had written multiple novels.

These were talented individuals who followed up one success after another. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Beverly Clearly, Rosamond Du Jardan, Alfred Hitchcock, and Danielle Steele are all household names and they made millions from writing. Their books came from reputable publishers who marketed them and it paid off. I am not against self-publishing because it might be what I end up doing one day. I am pointing out the differences in those with a "calling"to write for lack of a better world and those who simply want another notch on their belt.

I cannot tell you how many times I sat in churches and had to listen to 15-20 minute advertisements for the speaker of the day. I did not care how many churches these men pastored or how many books, CD's or tapes they had released. I truly became distressed at worship services that were nothing more than marketing campaigns for the speaker of the hour. This is why I become frustrated at celebrities who don't stay in their lanes.

Today's brand has to sing, dance, act, have a clothing line, a reality television show, and several books. I am not against people branching out into other areas but I am stressing the point that having a book published does not indicate you are a writer any more than putting on a diving suit and getting in the water makes you a fish.

One of these days I will prove my point by finally having some books published. When you read a novel or even an autobiography it should keep you engaged. You should find you are quickly turning the pages and when you finish you are craving more. Books should inform, entertain, or pul on the emotion of the reader in some manner. As one who was born with the gift to write I am infuriated when celebrities and preachers simply church out anything just to say they are a published author.

Truthfully there are too many so-called authors who have flooded bookstores and the Internet but there are so many natural-born writers who want to do it the right way and do not have the funding. You may be wondering how you can tell the difference and I will enlighten you. If all you take away after reading a book is that you are enamored of the author because he or she is a popular preacher or entertainer subtract 5 points. If you cannot really recall anything interesting that you can share with others subtract 5 points.

Should you decide that you do not have the desire to read the book again subtract 10 points. On the other hand, if you learned something while reading, found you could not put the material down, could not wait to turn the page, and have since read it several more times give yourself 100 points. The best thing I can leave you with is that you should instinctively know deep within if you are reading a work that came from the heart or a yarn that has been spun simply to make money and a name for the writer.