My Resistance to Calling Myself a Writer

Are you a writer? 

How do you know?

When can you call yourself a writer?

Are you a writer ONLY IF you get paid to write?

Are you a writer ONLY IF you have an audience of readers?

Are you a writer ONLY IF you write books?

What is your definition of a WRITER?

One thing I know for sure: I am an overthinker.

I joined Twitter recently and have started following people in the writing community. 

Big mistake for someone who struggles with the idea of calling herself a writer.

In fact, in my bio I say: “I write. Sometimes.”

My feed is populated with other people’s tweets about published books, completed manuscripts, works in progress (#WIP), queries, agents, etc.

And seeing all this makes me feel like an imposter, like I don’t belong. 

These people are actual writers, I think to myself. They’re out of my league.

What am I doing here? I wonder. 

I don’t write books. I’m not working on a book. I have no immediate or future plans to write a book.

I write on a blog. Sometimes. 

Does that qualify me as a writer? Does the medium matter?

“Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”

Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Is what I’m experiencing with writing Resistance?

Is that why washing the dishes, sink, and toilet seems like a good idea whenever I’m “supposed to be writing”?

Where is this compulsion to write coming from and why do I keep resisting?

Why do I feel such dread and anxiety?

Will my soul ever know what it’s like to feel free?