Embracing Your Identity as a Writer
One of the hardest (yet necessary) things that must happen in the life of a writer is for him or her to fully embrace their identity as a writer. They may think of themselves as an “aspiring writer,” especially if they’re yet unpublished; but that won’t do, in my opinion. It’s like a person saying they’ve become an “aspiring Christian.” They’re not one yet, but they want to be. We know, of course, that one becomes a Christian as they are born again spiritually and become new creations in Christ. They have a new identity and they will grow faster as they embrace and begin to live out that new identity.
The same is true for writers. You are not an aspiring writer. You are a writer. That is who you are and that is what you do. Embracing that identity will help you through writer’s block, rejection, and the distractions writers face. By accepting your identity as a writer, you WILL plow on. You will write. You will succeed at whatever level God has for you. You will no more give up your writer identity than you would surrender your Christian identity. Writing, for a Christian, is a calling. It’s a destiny. Knowing that—and embracing that—means you know you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you. You know you will have serious setbacks…but you will persist because it’s in your writer DNA.
If you refuse or procrastinate in accepting your identity as a writer—perhaps you weren’t meant to be a writer after all.
It wasn’t until my fourth book was in my hands that I had the guts to identify myself as an “author.”
I’m the same way, but I don’t really understand our reluctance.
Thank you, Nick, for this post today. It’s so very timely for me personally. The past day or so, I really went back to consider my original vision as a writer. Funny as it sounds, Stephen King is one of the writers who most influenced me. I wanted to write about the Lord’s good grace in people’s lives as powerfully and realistically as Mr. King writes about the darker side of spiritual activity. I know that may not be a very practical goal, but revisiting it certainly made me feel centered again and reminded me of my place as a writer. That you posted today is also particularly timely because it’s my birthday. I have more of those behind me than ahead of me, but I’m pretty sure the best is yet to come! Thanks for giving back, Nick!
Lisa, thanks. I still have my copy of your excellent novel “A Lifetime Ago.” I should read it again. You ARE a writer. Happy birthday!