how to know if you’re a writer

In partnership with hope*writers. This post includes affiliate links – see disclosure here.

This is hard for me to say: I’m a writer.

Well obviously, you think. You’re a (mildly successful-ish??) blogger. I mean, I’m reading your writing right now. So yeah. What’s hard about that? 

I don’t even know what I am as a blogger. But I’ll say this.

We tend to set qualifiers for things before we can label them.

There seems to be a bar that says whether or not we’ve made it. And then we rarely get there. And we feel foolish for even trying. 

Like, would you call yourself a basketball player if you aren’t on the Lakers, but you still play once in a while at the Y? Or a singer, if you’re not on the radio, but you sing to your dashboard in the car? Not should you, but do you? Think about it.

Sure, seeing my name on a book as the author would define me as a writer. Or having said book sold at Barnes and Noble, or making it on a bestseller list. 

But with or without those things, are you a writer?

I’m thinking it through, and here’s what I’ve come up with. Here’s how to know if you’re a writer.

1. You have a story to tell.

When people ask about my blog, a lot of them will also add, “I’ve thought about starting a blog, buuuut…” At the risk of sounding like a fortune cookie, anyone can start one, because every person has a story that only they can tell. So is this a qualifier you have? Probably.

2. You actually like to write.

It’s pretty simple. If you absolutely hate writing, if it you were happy to leave those assignments at school, it’s maybe not for you. (But I can’t generalize too much – maybe this isn’t always true?)

3. Writing is a way that you process how you feel.

There are a lot of other ways you could be processing – talking, creating, exercising, working, eating, etc. If writing is one that you keep coming back to, if you journal or blog or find a way to get it all out there through putting down words, you’re a writer.

4. You enjoy reading and words. 

It’s not just writing it down yourself. You connect with what other people write, you find inspiration there, and you just love a good, descriptive word. (Also known as being a word nerd – and I’ll own that.)

5. Writing is your creative outlet.

Again, it may not be the only one, but we all need at least one. Writing may be that place you just keep coming back to, something you do for fun, not because you have to.

When I think about it that way, it’s pretty simple. (And a whole lot more achievable.)

Now then, have you ever wondered about writing professionally?

If you would love it, but felt like it was impossible, now’s your opportunity to dig a little deeper. The tools and resources and help are out there to make it a reality, not just a dream. 

This week only, hope*writers is opening up for new members! I wasn’t sure how helpful it would be to an absolute newbie like me. But as I started to go through all they offer – a network of writers, advice from working professionals (writers, marketers, agents, and more), videos you can go through at your own time – I realized what a valuable resource it is.  

Now is the time to invest in moving forward as a writer. You could not choose a more supportive network to join. And you can actually stop seeing being a writer as an impossible goal, but rather as an achievable one. 

If you’re an extra credit kind of person, take this short quiz to see where you are as a writer, and check out 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing A Book. 

So where are my writers out there? What holds you back from writing?