I’m here for the writers. I’m here, too, to say
That you should be proud if you’ve written today.
Perhaps it’s for you or perhaps for a crowd,
Held close in the quiet or posted out loud.
It’s writing to bring your new setting to birth,
And it’s writing in fanfic. It’s hard. It has worth.
Your vision may just come in incomplete parts,
Perhaps below par? That still counts. That is art.
Shy? You’re a writer.
Slow? You’re a writer.
Craving a comment to go on? A writer.
Unreal? You’re a writer.
Just for fun? You’re a writer.
Are you working in your second tongue? You’re a writer. (!)
And maybe your comments are rarer indeed,
But somebody somewhere may find what they need.
Each new thought expressed and each writer's block faced,
Your voice is your own and it can’t be replaced.
And maybe it’s for, by, and autographed “you” –
Are there words? Then it counts. So just do what you do.
Wishful? You’re a writer.
A jerk? You’re a writer.
You are shamelessly not safe for work? You’re a writer.
AU? You’re a writer.
Of AU? Still a writer.
Do you only write what pleases you? You’re a writer.
There will always be people who dash off with glee
And seem that they never get stuck, they’re home free
There will always be people who make epic tomes
With novels of prose and with volumes of poems.
There’ll be those with hundreds of fans at their call,
A chorus of comments for each word let fall.
But do not get jealous. This isn’t a race.
Each story’s a spark, in its time, in its place.
And what seems mundane when you write it today,
May make someone laugh, cry, or hope. Yes, it may.
The story has moved you, has called you for more,
Be loyal to this. That’s what writing is for.
Write what you love and forgive what you write!
Go on. I salute you. Good luck and goodnight.