Write Until They Can’t Ignore You

I gained the courage to write without applause, recognition, or regret

I used to wait for a sign. For someone to tell me that I had what it took to write, to create, to be seen.

I thought success would fall into my lap, like a carefully crafted letter slipped under a door, written by fate itself.

But I was wrong.

In fact, I did the worst thing of all: I waited. I waited for the perfect moment, the perfect opportunity, and the perfect person to find me.

I finally realized it; nobody’s going to save me. Nobody’s going to come knock on my door and tell me, “You got it; start now.”

I was not some character in a big story where a literary character would find me and offer me a book deal. That’s just not the way it works.

If you want to be heard, then you’ve got to make noise.

Because I have been in that position too. What if no one reads my work? What if I fail? What if it’s just not good enough?

These questions, these doubts—they were my companions for far too long. But once Anne Lamott said, “You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”

And so I did. I stopped waiting for permission and just started writing.

When I first started to write seriously, the voices of my insecurities told me how worthless my words were. I thought it needed to be perfect, polished, and ready to shine, or else I wouldn’t share it with the world. But that is not what matters.

What matters is to show up every single day and write from the heart. Because I believe perfection is a lie.

The first few drafts are messy. The first few tries always are. But in that mess, there is magic. If you keep at it, your voice, your rhythm, and your unique perspective will come out.

There was a time when my work wasn’t read by many people. It felt as though I was screaming into an empty room. I didn’t stop. I didn’t let the silence of non-response knock my spirit. One day, it would happen with consistency and a certain purpose—at least, that someone somewhere would see me. More importantly, I would see myself.

Writing is not just about getting others’ acknowledgment; it is an act of acknowledgment of the self first.

You can’t expect anyone to find your talent if you’re not out there showing it off, letting it be messy, letting it grow.

I have learned that every piece I write gets me one step closer to the writer I am becoming. I believe the same is true about you.

What if no one reads it? Keep writing. What if no one responds? Keep writing. What if no one cares? Keep writing. Because truth is, the world is waiting for what you have to say.

There are people out there who need your words and who will find comfort, motivation, or joy in what you have to offer.

Just remember these words by Maya Angelou: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

Your story counts. Your voice is needed, but nobody will hear that voice until you start making the voice be heard.

I needed to let go of the need for vindication. I needed to stop waiting on the perfect timing or the perfect platform. I needed to learn to write in the dark sans applause sans recognition. And finally, I began to be noticed.

Slowly but surely, my work started to connect with others. I created something that could no longer be overlooked, not because it was perfect, but because it was authentic.

So, if you’re reading this and feeling like you’re standing on the precipice of something yet unsure if you should jump, let me tell you this.

Jump!

Write, create, and express yourself, even when you’re not sure where it takes you. Don’t wait for someone to discover you. Start writing until no one can ignore you.

One day, you’ll look back and realize you didn’t need anyone to find you.

You found yourself, and you made the world listen.