Writing is a lot like cake

Of course you can write. If you’re reasonably smart and you paid some attention in school.

But what and how should your write?

If you want, you can write like Disney or make up heroic wizards. You can sell soap or sappy notions of romance. But if you mean to express yourself, that might be quite another matter. Then, you must risk being underappreciated – and possibly not read at all. Your thoughts and emotions and ideas may simply not be that interesting to others. What other self than your own do you have to offer?

But you can always write.

Say what you will, some words are just more palatable than others. You should give people what they think that they want if you want to increase your chances of fame – or royalties.

Simply put, you can write for acceptance or you can write for yourself. Most likely you will aim for something in between. And sometimes it turns out that if you write for yourself, some readers will want to hear what you have to say.

So if you wish to write, you get to choose. Acceptance is not to be shunned, but pandering is to be avoided unless all you really want is applause.

It would be something to express your own self and to be appreciated, too.