The Importance of Owning it

by Kristi Belcamino

Are you a writer?

Here's a simple quiz:

Do you write?

Yes? You're a writer.

No. You're not a writer.

At some point, all of us have to take ownership of being a writer. I believe if you truly want to be a writer, you write. And you call yourself a writer.

If you write, you can ditch that weak willy nilly "aspiring writer" title and dive right in.

I had to do that.

My ego didn't want to call myself a writer. In fact, I spent about thirty years avoiding calling myself one.  After all, after scrapping my first novel at age 11, I was scared to death of writing fiction. Who was I to think I could write a book and be a "writer" - the  most glorious and elusive and magical career in the world?

So, I got a journalism degree and poured my heart into newspaper writing and reporting. I was a REPORTER. Not a writer.

And then - THANK GOD - I got older. I turned forty and glory days, realized I didn't care anymore about what anyone thought, which gave me the freedom to sit down and write a fiction book.

So, I sat down to write and decided to call myself a writer. I even bought this mug so I could look at it every morning and remind myself that I WAS A WRITER. For reals.

And who knew? People liked my book. An agent liked it and then a publisher liked it.

But even before anyone else liked it, I claimed the title and owned it: I am a writer.

How about you?