Self-Confidence And Why I Don’t Like The Label ‘Aspiring Writer’

June 4, 2018

I’ve always had a bit of a problem with the label ‘aspiring writer’. ‘Aspiring author’, that I get. ‘Author’, to me, means someone who has at least one book published, whether that is indie pubbed or traditionally (although use of this label can also be a bit of a debate, but one I won’t go into here). One can aspire to being a published author. But to me, writers, no matter how young, how new, or how inexperienced, are not ‘aspiring’.

My definition of a writer is simple. Do you write? Yes? Then you are a writer. If you love writing, and if you write at all whether you write stories or poems or whatever writing form you prefer then you are a writer. Even if you only get to write in five minute bursts at the end of a day, you are still a writer. You are only an ‘aspiring writer’ if you are standing at the edge and are about to dip your toe into the world of writing, when you haven’t put pen to paper yet, when you haven’t started writing those worlds that life inside your head. That is when you’re aspiring to be a writer. If you’ve started writing though, you are a writer, no ‘aspiring’ about it.

Maybe some of the attraction of the term comes from the fact that it suggests that you’re not a professional writer. You aspire to be a writer, but you’re not that good at writing just yet. You’re aspiring to be a writer, but you haven’t finished any books yet. You’re aspiring to be a writer, but it’s not going to be your main career. It’s like a way of saying ‘I like to write, but I’m not a professional’. And that I do get. As soon as you say that you’re a writer, you open yourself up to a whole host of expectations, such as the fact that you must have published something, or you’re making it your career.

It takes a lot of confidence to say ‘I am a writer’. Writing is my job, and I still have trouble telling people what I do sometimes. But it’s important for us to own the label of ‘writer’. There are plenty of people out there willing to tell you that you’re not very good, that you’re not published, that you’re not a real writer because you haven’t finished a book yet, or you’re not published. Yours shouldn’t be one of those negative voices. Even when everyone else is telling you you’re not a ‘real writer’, you have to believe you are. I found this beautiful quote today that I suddenly remembered while writing this post. It says:

Believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe with you – Cynthia Kersey

Believe in your own writing. Believe in your own skills. Believe in your own love of books. Believe that you are a writer, because there is no one way to be a writer. All you have to do is love writing, and then write. You are not an aspiring writer, waiting until some magical moment when you are considered ‘good enough’. You are a writer with words to say, stories to tell, and the dedication and passion to write, no matter what others say, or how hard the road might be. There is no aspiring about it. You are a writer. Believe in yourself.

Does the term ‘aspiring writer’ ever bother you? What is your definition of what a writer is? What is your favourite writing quote? Let’s chat!

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About Me

Hi, I’m Imogen Elvis.
Indie Author ✍️
Book Lover  
📚Reading and writing all things YA fantasy/sci-fi.  
My new book THE IRON WINTER (2023) is out now!

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