For as long as i could remember i always loved writing and reading books, but i never called myself a writer. I would write about things in general and write short stories, still i never saw myself as a writer. And i know it may sound comical and puzzling however, this was because i believed the term "writer" was reserved for people who were perfect writers, people whose works were exceptional and i never saw my works or myself as any of that. So i would always tell anyone that I loved writing but i wasn’t a writer yet.
I have heard stories of people out there who in reality, think the same way. Beautiful writers who think they’re not to be called writers yet because they’re not perfect like known writers or their works are not exceptional as they think so they just shrink themselves and hide their works, some don’t bother writing at all. But fact is nobody starts out by being perfect, we only strive and learn towards perfection. How do you become perfect if you don’t start?
An additional reason i never saw myself as a writer was because i heard about people making cool cash from writing gigs but i never deemed any of my works perfect enough to even make a penny from writing. Now you really don't have to start out by thinking that way, but if you intend on doing so which is definitely not an unwelcomed idea, post your works and put yourself out there, build relationships with fellow writers like yourself in the process. Like the saying goes "Rome wasn't built in a day", I'm sure no writer got paid from hiding their works or from posting their very first work.
I kept my works hidden in my notes and journals until late last year when i summoned courage with the help of my fellow writer friends and published my first work. It wasn’t a perfect work but I posted it regardless and that first post was the stepping stone to the confidence I needed to post and write more. Recently on twitter, i went through a thread of writers who admitted to going for months without writing anything and i could relate too, it’s called "writer’s block". So if that happens to you, you’re not alone, you’re still a writer. You don’t have to write everyday and every hour to prove you’re a writer.
If you love writing, you’re a writer, be a writer. You have to see the beauty in it for yourself, start writing.
"A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, or because everything she does is golden. A writer is a writer because, even when there’s no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway." (Junot, D. 2008)
