I am a… reader. But, a writer?
The books along my wall say I’m a reader. They whisper it
from their thousands of pages. My overstocked bookshelf dedicated to teen
fantasy screams it pretty loud. My special Harry Potter shelf—British editions
(be jealous)—have it scrawled into their spine.
I read, sometimes too much. But, am I a writer?
I was a writer in 3rd grade, when I wrote a story
about a hidden unicorn valley behind my grandparents’ house. In high school, I wrote
about a horse stable fire in 18th century England that turned one
girl’s dream of freedom to a duty to stay with her family. And now, age undetermined,
I write about assassins and soldiers in a dystopian future.
But for some reason, I’ve never considering myself a “writer.”
Don’t you have to be a published author? Or at least have a publisher willing
to print you? Even just have an agent that believes in you? Does a
supportive boyfriend work?
Wait, are you saying I can just call myself a writer, and it will be true? I can just write every day,
even if it’s only in my head, and consider myself a writer? Yes, that’s a
question.
I write every day. Whether it’s quickly jotting down my
dream from the previous night (intriguing in their impossibility). Or pulling
open my latest draft on my lunch break. Or having a conversation in my head
with two fictional people that I’d created seconds before. Or updating my to-do
list.
Okay, I see how that last one doesn’t count.
So, maybe I am a writer. My Rowling-size dreams say I could
be. Maybe if I believe it, I will act it, and then it will come true! Even though that sounds fluffy and Disney-esque,
it’s so happy! My dream can come true. So let’s start by saying it:
I AM A WRITER!
And a big thank you to Jeff Goins, who provided me a
deadline to finally get this blog up and running. Please visit him and his inspiration
at http://youareawriter.com/.
I've struggled with that question, too--am I a writer? Time-wise I write far less than you do, but in my past jobs I have had writing specific assignments (if you count web content and marketing-style letters). I have a blog that I update fairly regularly, but it is far from having a real following.
ReplyDeleteI think my answer came when I realized that I think in *words*, I think in *stories*, and the power and sculpting of both words and stories are very definite and integral parts of my life. They're a part of who I am. So. I am declaring it, too. I AM A WRITER! :-)
And I'm looking forward to following this blog and reading more of what you have to say. :-)
Thanks! You definitely are a writer, I've always thought so! So yay for declaring it!
DeleteAlso, good point on how we, as writers, think. I think in dialogue a lot (like characters arguing) but I've never considered that this may be additional proof I'm a writer.