You Are a Writer

When people ask what I do, I usually tell them about my day job, not my writing, even though I think of writing as my chosen career. Like the writing is less real because it doesn’t give me health benefits. So I like Kristine Carlson Asselin’s post about owning yourself as a writer. She talks about the hesitation to identify as a writer, and how we should stand up for our writing. She says:

“I AM A WRITER. And if you write, YOU ARE A WRITER. Not you want to be a writer. Not you hope to be a writer. If you write, YOU ARE A WRITER.”

Amen to that! I might need to start practicing this affirmation. Do you find it hard to identify as a writer?

0 thoughts on “You Are a Writer

    • anniecardi says:

      I think the “hard” part of it separates the writers from the people who maybe might like to write but stop. If you can write even though it’s hard, you’re a writer.

  1. Dennis Langley says:

    At one writer’s group meeting I introduced myself, “Hello. My name is Dennis and I’m a writer.” To which, the entire group responded in unison, “Hello Dennis.” So, writing is a twelve-step process? Seriously, that was the first time I had said it out loud. It was a little unnerving.

  2. teschoenborn says:

    I think society pressures us to associate what we are with what makes money. This is absolutely wrong. What we feel, think, believe in the depths of our soul; that is what we are.

    At the very core of my being, I AM A WRITER.

    • anniecardi says:

      YES! I hate that what we do for employment is often the defining characteristic of a person, at least when you first week. The question of “What do you do?” should mean “What do you do that you love?” instead of “What do you do for money?” Sometimes the two intersect, but not always.

  3. Deborah the Closet Monster says:

    I don’t anymore, but I did up until April or May of last year! My officemate (a print artist and musician) snickered when I said I wasn’t a writer. “What would you do if you couldn’t write?” he asked. I found the thought so horrifying, the answer was written on my face, leading to even more snickering on his part.

    Since then, it’s been much easier for me to identify as a writer. 🙂

Leave a Reply to anniecardi Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.