Hi there!
I am a writer.
Saying those words terrified me. It took decades for me to get there. I always told people I wanted to be a writer, or I was an aspiring writer. I never said, “I am a writer.” It never felt like I had the right.
Then one day I stumbled upon an online story where the author was discussing what it meant to be a writer. He wrapped it all up in a nice nutshell.
“What is a writer? Someone who writes. If you write, you are a writer.” (I can’t remember who wrote it or where, so I can’t share a link.)
“Take care what words you speak that follow ‘I am.’ In so speaking you create your life.”
- Alan Cohen
Changing How I Saw Myself
From that day forward, I started using the word to describe myself. The tiny shift changed my mindset. Suddenly, talking about writing became easier. Writing became easier.
“I am a writer,” I told people, and the world didn’t stop spinning. No writer police came running forward to slap me with a fine for misusing the word. No one accused me of being a liar.
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