By Ed Mickolus
This article originally appeared in Mensana, the newsletter of the North East Florida Chapter of Mensa.
Why are you considering writing? As the designated Smartest Person in the Room (and you have the Mensa membership to back that!), how many times have friends/colleagues/enemies said to you, “You know, you should write a (book/screenplay/short story/tweet)” or something similar? Or after reading a piece of prose, you’ve thought “Jeez, I could do better than that!”
Has this been enough to get you to writing? Probably not, and it shouldn’t.
Writing—at least for enjoyment—is something that you want to do, not something suggested by invidious comparison, or imposed by the outside (unless you’re doing it as part of your job, in which case, it’s work, not necessarily fun).
So back to square one: What inside you is saying “I want to write”? I asked members of several writers groups in which I participate; their answers tend to cluster around:
- I’m motivated to write to give of myself, my thoughts, hopes, dreams, solutions.
- I’m curious to see if I have it in me.
- I have interesting stories to tell.
- I enjoy self-expression via the written word. (It’s ok if you’re also a talker. Sometimes spoken and written media can feed off each other.)
- I have a message I want to convey to others.
- I want to make money. (Be careful in your expectations. A tiny percentage of the self-published books in America sell even one copy! Don’t expect to rival Grisham and Patterson. However, at the other end of the spectrum, a friend’s letter to a store “complaining about a product was so well written that they have kept it and often give me quiet discounts. Possibly they’re worried I will complain nationally but they did ask me if I was a writer!” So she’s a successful writer, and is perceived as a writer. What else can you ask for!?)
- I want my memoirs to be my legacy to my family and/or The Next Generation.
In my case, I write my terrorism and intelligence nonfiction
- to still be useful to those battling evil. I had a 33-year career at the Agency and taught young intelligence officers for another eight years. Although I’ve handed off to a new generation, I can still help.
- make an impact
- leave a legacy
- Making money is way down on my list. So I’m not frustrated when I tell you that I’m famous among 400 people and never quit my day job.
Ed Mickolus is an author, researcher, humorist, writing consultant, instructor, public speaker, and retired intelligence officer. He served in analytical, operational, management, and staff positions in the Central Intelligence Agency for 33 years, where he was the CIA’s first full-time analyst on international terrorism; analyzed African political, economic, social, military, and leadership issues; wrote political-psychological assessments of world leaders; and managed collection, counterintelligence, and covert action programs against terrorists, drug traffickers, weapons proliferators, and hostile espionage services.
He has written over 48 books (so far) ranging from terrorism studies to humor, had a wide-ranging 33-year career at the CIA, founded a research company, teaches intelligence, mentors writers, collects neckties and classic cars, and is even a recovering stand-up comedian.
