How To Know If You’re A Writer

Hello my friend,

Whether you’ve been writing for years, or you just started last week, we have all faced insecurities about our abilities as writers. These days social media is filled with successful authors and writers, and too often we struggle with comparing ourselves to others. There are writers who have ultra productive morning routines and schedules that they never stray from, with several successfully published books in their back pocket. This is not the only way to be a writer, and it can cast doubt on those who feel like they can’t live up to the expectation of what being a writer is. It begs the question, what makes a writer and how do you know if you’re one? I’ll start by saying, if you want to consider yourself a writer, then you’re a writer. I know plenty of people who only write from time to time and don’t feel the need to label themselves as a writer. But if you also write from time to time and you want to consider yourself a writer, then congratulations, you are one. I have been writing since I was six or seven years old, and I didn’t consider myself a writer until I was a junior in high school. Granted, in elementary and middle school, my writing was mainly composed of rewriting all my favorite books from memory. No original or unique ideas, just rewriting books that I had memorized word for word. I was still a writer back then, and I am still one now. When I finally reached middle and high school, I worked on several books and explored many different ideas to write about, without ever considering myself a writer. Why? I believed that I had to publish my work in order to be a writer. But sharing my work with anyone was out of the question at the time, so I was content with considering myself a creative person with a big imagination. But not a writer.

I couldn’t tell you what finally clicked in my head that made me finally realize I was a writer. At some point my junior year of high school, I began the early drafts of my upcoming debut novel, “Love, Elias.” At the time of starting it, I had no intent on publishing it one day, but writing that book changed the way I viewed myself and my writing. I had this passion and desire to get words out of my head and put them on paper. I wanted to read the scenes I imagined and bring them to life with my pencil. I couldn’t get enough of it. During my last two years of high school I devoted all my time to writing, even going as far as writing in the middle of class and not paying attention (apologies to my parents, but I still had good grades so I think it’s fine.) I had this unquenchable thirst to write, and I knew it wasn’t going away any time soon. I knew I was a writer, regardless of what others said.

Being a writer is one of the most unique jobs you can find, and how you label yourself is entirely up to you. As much as people might tell you otherwise, there are so many different types of writers with all kinds of styles, backgrounds, and ideas. In fact, I don’t trust a writer who has the same style, background, and ideas as others do. Every single writer is an entirely unique and individual person, who will come up with stories and ideas that no one else will ever think of. We may all follow a similar story format, such as the hero’s journey, but nothing in our minds will ever be the same as what’s in someone else’s. This is true regardless of how often you write or how many books you’ve published.

You may only scribble down short story ideas and write a few paragraphs every now and then. You might write complex trilogies and 500 page-long novels, but decide to never share them with the world. You may write every day, or once a month, because we’re all humans and we have other lives to live. You may only write fanfiction, or maybe you’re like my younger self and you just want to rewrite your favorite book from memory because there’s no one who can stop you.

If you are any of these things, you are a writer. If you put words on a page, you are a writer. If you want to be a writer, you are a writer. There is no rule book, no script to follow, no step-by-step journey you have to take. Embrace your love for what you do, and don’t let anyone try to tell you to change it.

So to answer the question, how do you know if you’re a writer? Trust me, you’ll know.