It’s okay to call yourself a writer.

I am extremely fortunate to have a network of extremely talented writers that I gained from attending my graduate program. Watching others succeed is incredibly inspiring and uplifting, and in the age of social media it is easier than ever to follow the success of one’s peers. I graduated with my MFA in July of 2016. When I went back to school I had extremely high expectations of myself. I made a lot of sacrifices to follow my dream and spent years in school dedicated to learning the craft. Even once I got my MFA, I struggled with calling myself a writer. I hadn’t published anything beyond a couple stories and poems in journals through college. Calling myself a writer felt pompous and fraudulent. I didn’t feel I had earned that right.

By definition, that is not true. If you write, you are a writer. The distinction comes in with whether you are a writer or an author. A writer writes; an author has published.

There is a term for feeling like a fraud. It’s called imposter syndrome. Every writer I have ever met and spoken with has experienced it. Every. Single. One. I will never forget the first writing conference I attended. Judy Blume was the keynote speaker. She and her lovely self walked on stage and I don’t know what I expected, but as she spoke to us she broke into tears. She was struggling with the book she was writing. That vulnerability that she displayed will forever stay in my heart because I looked at her and I thought, I feel you. You understand me. I am not alone. I am a writer.