I'm Mediocre. But, I Show Up.

I’m a mediocre writer. I’m not trying to be humble here. I know for a fact that there are better writers than me. I never learned English formally; I picked it up like I did typing — through practice.

If someone asks me the difference between “past participle” and “present participle,” I will simply shrug my shoulders. I honestly don’t know! Even today, I make tense errors and grammar mistakes. And, my writing will be called “trash” by people who are well-versed in the language. I realize my shortcomings as a writer.

But, I also realize my strengths. I can write a passage that is easy to read. When I read something, I can figure out what’s wrong with it. I write in simple language because someone who’s starting their reading journey should feel warm and comfortable when they read my writing. I don’t write to convey a message. I write for various reasons.

As I mentioned in one of my previous essays,

I write to express. I write to see how what I’ve read, watched, and listened so far has changed my perspective on life. I write to document the time I’m living in. I write to overcome fear. I write to convert scattered ideas in my brain into a coherent stream of words that might someday make sense to someone. I write to experience the joy of creating a story or a character out of thin air. I write to make myself happy. And, most of all, I write because it is a way of celebrating life.

I believe a good piece of writing is like a hot cup of coffee on a rainy day. Doesn’t matter if you’re happy or sad, the coffee will make you feel better.

Like I said earlier, I am a mediocre writer. But, I show up when others don’t. The volume of work I put out will have a compounding effect on me and will eventually make me a good writer.