Read a great post from JA Konrath on the subject of identity as a writer. I did not realize how close to home this hit until I read the post and comments from several writers within. Is it enough to write on a daily basis to be called a writer? How about the person with a full time advertising job who writes a couple of short stories a year and is always working on a longer piece of fiction in his/her spare time? Is that person a writer? If so, then how do you differentiate between that person and say, Stephen King. Both are writers, so both can be described in the same way? Or do you say one is a best selling author while the other is merely an aspiring writer?
I got out of the ad business and now devote my full time to writing. When asked recently what I do, I responded that I was a writer. Felt strange to me because my own identity as a writer was in question. Konrath discusses how he experienced the same identity crisis even after he finished and published novels. This feeling of inadequacy plagues many writers. The sad truth is this: Identity should not be contingent upon other's validation, but for many it is.
So, how do we conquer this? I see it as an internal struggle, one where every person must individually conquer his/her own confidence to own his/her personal identity. For me, I must believe that I am a writer because that is what I am. If I don't truly believe it, then how can I expect to wake up each morning and write compelling stories?
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