A thought occurred to me on this bright Sunday afternoon: I haven’t written a single article since July 2017. Two full years have passed since I last wrote a story. Not a single event covered, a dish at a local restaurant reviewed, or any notable individuals interviewed. 

Where has my passion gone? Life events, dreams of writing fiction, and everything else swirled my creativity down the drain. The thought of writing an article paralyzed me for two long years.

But at heart, I’m still a writer, despite my lack of recently published articles. It’s a part of my identity, nearly five years after I scribbled my first article about the Chattanooga Market in August 2014. After receiving my assignment, I felt clueless about how to approach the story. I knew nothing about AP Style, conducting interviews, or how to make a story worth reading.

Instead of letting my fear of failure take over, I wrote the best story I could with my limited ability. I conducted interviews, took photos with my Canon Rebel T5i, and sent my completed story to my editor. I wrote for the University Echo, the student newspaper of my alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The paper ran my story with a number of edits.

Seeing my byline and the words I wrote lit a spark deep inside my soul. I knew I wanted to become a writer, no matter what. My poorly written article sent me on a path which taught me countless lessons about myself, Chattanooga, and the world around me. Writing changed my life for the better. 

Today, I’m no longer terrified of what might happen after I finish typing these words. 

After two years, I’m returning to writing.