Feb 12, 2024
Do you ever ask yourself if you are still a writer?
Most people who stumble across me on social media have no idea who I am.
My writing has broken no records and hasn’t made any big-name best-seller lists. Somedays, I feel like the only person who cares about my stories is me. Days when I wonder why I even bother to put words on ‘paper.’ This fall, I was ‘ghosted’ at a book signing event and didn’t sell a single book. I haven’t written anything besides my blog posts for the last two months for a variety of reasons, including the death of my mother and some harsh criticism I received for the first chapter of my WIP.
Am I still a writer?
Based on my recent on-line book sales, the answer is yes. According to the new story churning in my brain, my characters hope so. I’m not convinced.
But blogging is writing, correct? It’s committing words to ‘paper’.
Truth is, I’ve been avoiding writing. It isn’t writer’s block, it’s me finding other things to do. Shoot, I’ve been doing housework instead of sitting in front of my computer—and I hate doing housework. It’s weird. In the past, it was the opposite. I couldn’t be pried away from my stories to take care of other duties.
Am I still a writer? Who gets to decide?
Me. Only I get to make that decision. No one can tell me I’m not a writer. So, I herby declare that I’m a writer on a semi-break. I will get back to my stories. My fingers are itching to get back to the keyboard. I put too much effort into my WIP to abandon it now. After I do my taxes. And clean out a box I stashed in the cupboard two years ago and haven’t looked at since. It holds all the printed out critiques for many of my books.
How about out other authors? Do they ever question their status as a writer? Let’s find out of they share by following the links below.
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
Feb 12, 2024
Do you ever ask yourself if you are still a writer?
Agreed. We all get to define ourselves. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
I’m okay with that with some limitations. If someone doesn’t ever put words in a static form, are they a writer?
I’m the only one it seems who disagrees. Are the rest of the group saying they’re writers because they want to be writers? I can’t define myself as a writer because I don’t earn a living from writing. I write in my spare time as a hobby. It’s like saying you’re an actor even if you just have a small part in a village pantomime at Christmas.
I don’t believe that you have to earn a living from writing to define yourself as a writer. Are poets not writers because they don’t make money from it? (It’s HARD to make money from poetry!) It’s more the effort that gets put into it.
Exactly!
And we put the effort into it because we like writing stories and poems, regardless of whether or not anybody reads it. This leans towards a hobby for me because we’re not selling thousands of books, but hey, ho, I’ll go along with the majority for a quiet life.
I think you’re a writer, not everyone has done what we do. Whatever you sell, or how often you write is immaterial.
With some limited boundaries, of course. If a person is all talk and no action, do they get to claim the title of a writer?
I agree. There’s a woman I know in the flesh (so to speak) who says she’s a writer, but she’s been researching for the same book for the half-decade I’ve known her. I’ve seen a handful of paragraphs she’s written to writer workshop prompts, but not really anything else. So is she a writer or a wannabe? I think wannabe. I’d never say that to her, though. Or I’d dress it up in much gentler language.
Are you going to cross-publish this on Medium?
probably. 🙂 If I don’t put ot off to do my taxes or clean a closet.
I think an occasional break from writing helps me be more productive in the future. I don’t want to go long and not write, but a few weeks — a vacation, so to speak.
I also some times think I take breaks because I’m afraid my subconscious will tell on myself through my writing.
But you should be listening to your subconscious. It may lead you to something you missed.
True. The subconscious is a tricky thing. Mine has always told on me through my writing, so when it grows silent, I suspect I should be looking closer at what’s bubbling beneath the surface. And, then it’s time for journaling, which involves writing that will never be shared with anyone in its raw form — usually for the protection of the guilty.
What an annoying thing to have happen – being ghosted. We all define ourselves differently. It’s not what everyone else thinks – it’s what you think.
I am willing to add the caveat of not only thinking, but taking action. If you don’t actually write something, can you honestly call yourself a writer?
I’m so sorry you lost your mom.
I really related to this post. Some harsh criticism derailed me a couple of years ago, and lately I’ve found myself doing everything except writing (and I was a dedicated write-every-day person). I hope you’re able to find your way back (if that’s what you want to do) and find joy in your stories.
Thank you.