I have been working as a Search Engine Optimization writer and ghostwriter for over five years. I have a background in English lit., and I have written many a short story and article in my day. I am currently writing my novel, but I dare not call myself an author.
A little bit about my background…
I started writing when I was very little, and I took a liking to learning English Literature when I could barely understand what an essay was. The first-ever book I read as a kid and fell in love with immediately was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Hence the quote on the hero section of my website. It wasn’t age-appropriate at the time, but I’m glad that my mom decided to buy that book for me instead of something else. Had she not bought it, the trajectory of my writing could’ve been drastically different.
After graduation, I became a writer, an SEO writer to be exact. I worked with many clients all over the world. Heck, I wrote ebooks for a couple of them as well. But the most unfortunate part is that I just remembered that last bit as I was writing this today because I always forget that I am a LEGIT writer/author. “Why do I keep forgetting that?” I often ask myself that very question. The answer is simple: in my head, to be an author, you need to meet certain criteria. If it isn’t the case, you don’t have what it takes to be one.
You aren’t an author unless…
As a person suffering from imposter syndrome, I tell myself that I can’t be an author unless I am this and that. This doesn’t apply to others, though. Because I am easily intimidated by others’ achievements. I have a habit of undermining myself and comparing my achievements to those of every other person I meet.
I tell myself every day that I must have published a book or at least submitted my short story to a magazine. Next, I must have absolutely sold a couple of my books and should be actively earning from them. Or simply, I should be an English teacher. (I highly regard English teachers, for some unknown reason. I feel puny in front of them.)
Especially the minute people go into detail about what they’ve been through, what they have written, what sort of financial gain they experienced by writing, I tell myself that I am not good enough. Why? Because I’m still working on my stupid book.
What changed my mind?
Joining Substack largely helped alleviate many of the insecurities I had as a writer. For instance, for the first time in my life, I felt I was among kindred spirits. People were reading my stupid notes and articles, and sometimes they had the audacity to restack them. (How dare they?) Substack essentially convinced me that I might be at least somewhat important.
Instead of constant judgment or question marks, people were actually reading my stuff and were offering constructive criticism along with their own takes. Better yet, I saw multiple Substackers posting about this very situation I am addressing today. Some were feeling exactly how I felt. Then, I saw many people suggesting that if you constantly write and share your writings with the world to see, you’re no longer just a writer—you’re an author.
For the longest time, voices in the back of my mind convinced me that I wasn’t an author. If I hadn’t published anything, at least on Amazon, I wasn’t good enough to call myself that. After joining Substack, I started reminding myself of what I have been doing for the past two decades. I wrote a hell of a lot. I worked as a ghostwriter for many, but I never got to finish or publish my own book. Be that as it may, I have written thousands of articles for my clients and posted pieces on social media for people to see, and I am currently writing and publishing my short stories and my essays on my website. This is what slightly ameliorated my plight.
You ARE an author!
If you write an article, essay, or poem, if you own or partially own the rights to it, and if it’s 100% yours, it’s high time that you called yourself an author. Of course, if you’re a copywriter/ghostwriter, most of your work is ultimately owned by your clients. But if you run a blog and publish your own stories or basically your thoughts, you can absolutely call yourself an author.
From what I have experienced, oftentimes, you are highly regarded by the people around you because most of them are harsh critics. They always compare themselves to you. The grass is always greener on the other side; maybe they already call you an author while you call yourself a “Nothingburger.” Sometimes, people secretly hope to have your life instead of theirs. I am someone who has a lot of humility to the point that I fell victim to imposter syndrome, i.e., I always feel like I don’t deserve any praise for my work. Humility is good. It means you’re a human being with great core values. But don’t ever let it underplay your real achievements.
So, if you’re one of the creative souls out there, feel your work, own it, cherish and love it, because you owe it to yourself. If you don’t feel like calling yourself an author today, maybe tomorrow will be a better day to start reevaluating what you have actually done over the years. Then you can decide whether or not you’re worth the title.
