Are You A ‘Real’ Writer?

Do you feel like a real writer?

I was working with a client this week, and we'd just finished an incredibly productive session. Just as she was leaving, she turned to me and said (in jest), "I almost feel like a real writer."

The comment completely threw me. Almost? Real? Of course, I immediately replied with, "You are a real writer." Because she is.

The thing is, being a writer isn't about gaining reviews and marketing your work. Being a writer isn't about being published or finding an agent. It isn't even having a complete manuscript on your hands or writing 10,000 words in a single sitting.

Being a writer is simply this: being someone who writes.

A writer is someone who shows up for their words, who allows the tendrils of a story to grow around them. It's someone who watches their word count grow, who feels that buzz of excitement as the sentences form on the page.

A writer is someone who writes.

And writing is tough. Not because we don’t have ideas (if anything, we have too many), but because it’s vulnerable. It’s brave. It asks us to sit in the quiet and keep going, even when it feels like no one is cheering us on.

But though it feels lonely, it doesn't have to be. You don't have to do this alone.

I didn't become a writing coach to hold red pens or bark deadlines. I do it because I love watching new authors grow. Because I want to help them shape stories they’re proud of.

When I first started out, I thought my focus would be:

• untangling messy middles and easing plot knots
• building characters that actually breathe
• figuring out why a story stalls and how to move it forward

And yes, it often is those things. But far more often, it's simply being there, holding the space, and allowing someone to finally believe, "I can do this."

So if you’re writing something right now and it feels big, overwhelming, or just a little too lonely, know this: I'm rooting for you, whether we work together or not. And whether you’re just starting out or halfway through a novel, your story deserves a chance to grow.

Keep going. Keep writing.

You’re already doing the hard part.

You're already a writer.

 

If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear where you are in your writing journey. Leave a comment or contact me.