If you write, you're a writer
Stop making excuses for your craft; stop hiding who you are ...
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 216
I delayed writing online because I was waiting for permission.
Quite from whom, I’m not sure.
Whether it was a lack of self confidence or the knowledge that several people I knew were writers and I thought they’d laugh at my efforts, again, I’m not sure.
But, this lack of self confidence in my own abilities as a writer held me back.
The more I hesitated, the unhappier I became. The unhappier I became, the more I doubted myself, creating something of a vicious circle.
Until one day, about two years ago, it dawned on me that I didn’t need anyone’s blessing and really, what did it matter if other people ridiculed my efforts? I was going to write AND publish my thoughts and opinions.
So, if you’re reading this and you want to be a writer and you haven’t started yet, my best advice is to simply stops.
Stop waiting for permission. Stop making excuses. Stop undermining yourself.
Stop saying, “I’m trying to write,” or “I hope to publish someday.”
Say it outright: I am a writer. Then start acting like one.
This isn’t a case of semantics—it’s more a case of mindset alchemy.
The moment you claim the title of writer is the moment you shift from passive dreamer to active participant in your own creative evolution.
But here’s the catch: calling yourself a writer isn’t a vanity badge.
It’s a challenge. A dare.
Most advice about writing focuses on the mechanics—grammar, structure, and discipline. Are these things important? Yes they are.
But writing is also something of an excavation. Every time you sit down to work, you’re not just shaping sentences; you’re answering the question: what kind of writer am I?
Do you crumple at the first hint of doubt? Or do you push through the fog? Do you mimic others, or do you dig for your own voice? The page doesn’t lie. It shows you your discipline, your fears, your stubbornness, your honesty (or your lack of honesty).
Beware of faking it until you make it and instead, think it and act is as you become is. I learned this from Christine Comaford, former advisor to President Clinton and President George W. Bush. While confidence often starts out as an act or as a front, true results only arise from becoming whatever you’re setting out to be.
The difference between posers and pros isn’t talent—it’s the act of showing up, again and agin, week after week. Real writers write, even when it’s bad. Even when they don’t feel like it. Even when they feel like imposters. They push through. They persist.
The more often you write, and the more in-depth your wring, the less you’ll be faking it so there won’t be any need to pretend. The title becomes truth, becomes yours through repetition.
So if you’re going to write. Write.
Write in the morning, in the evening, in your lunch break, or on your commute. Keep a notebook. Dictate your thoughts via an app on your phone (which turns your voice into text). Write when you’re tired, when you’re inspired, and when you’re bored.
Instead of telling people you’re going to become a writer, tell them you are a writer. The difference, while minor, is massive.
The sooner you get into the habit of calling yourself a writer, the sooner you’ll find yourself wrestling with what that means—daily.
The identity of being a writer isn’t handed to you by publications or praise. It’s earned in the quiet grind, in slow and steady commitment, and in your relentless persistence to put words down on paper or on screen, and in the moments you choose to face the blank page instead of your excuses.
Given time, the writing will teach you who you are. Then, get used to the idea of wearing the badge of being a writer with pride.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gar
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P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree: Control what you can
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.