You Are Who You Say You Are
I identify as a woman. When I’m alone in my house, I still identify as a woman. When I step out my front door, I am fortunate that because my gender identity is easily accepted, no one will tell me I am not a woman.
I am a writer. When I’m alone in my house, I still identify as a writer. When I step out my front door, however, others will ask, “What have you published?” But does their question negate my identity?
No. So why does it feel like it?
Because there are two ways to interpret writer.
One: As an identity. You feel like you have stories in your head bursting to get out and whether you have a lot of time or barely a moment, whether you have written a dozen books or only a line, you feel like this is who you are.
Two: As profession. It’s what you do (for a living, as a hobby), and if it’s an action, then people expect to see evidence—such as a published book or a completed story.
We have complete control over the first definition; if you identify as a writer, no one can tell you you’re wrong. But for the second, market forces in the publishing world are often out of our control. So until such a time when people do recognize the job you’re doing, focus on the first one.
Because if you say you’re a writer, then you are.