Are You a Working Writer?

It’s the 1st Wednesday of the month again. That’s when I take part in Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The awesome co-hosts for the October 7 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!  Today we will look at what it means to be a working writer as I answer the October 7 IWSG question:

When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

I’m a working writer

I’ve always wanted to be a working writer, and at different points in my life, I would’ve defined that in different ways. Several years ago, I made a conscious decision to begin calling myself a writer. At first, I felt like a complete fraud, doing this—particularly with my email address, which declared that I was an author. I wasn’t an author when I first made the account. But I stepped out in faith and began believing things would soon be how I wanted them to be. I’m not saying that you can say “I’m a working writer,” without doing the work, and have it become true. But there’s a certain amount of wanting to live up to what you stated you are.

Say it’s so!

So, I said I was a writer, author, all the things that I wanted to be, and a couple of years later even I believed it. I had published a book, so I was an author. And each day I set aside a certain amount of time to work on my writing. I had become a working writer.

Working as a writer

Now, for the first time in my life, I’m earning a salary to write SEO web content. While the ideal may be me typing up chapters a day in my next New York Times bestseller, getting paid to be creative and write each day is a dream come true. Working with a group of wonderful people is the icing on the cake.

The only way that one can get there is through persistence. It also helps to imagine that you can do it (and then attempt it before you talk yourself out of it).

What Are YOUR Thoughts?

Please share how your writing world is doing in the comments below. I appreciate my readers as well as the writing community. To show that appreciation, I use Comment Luv. Just leave a comment below, and your latest post will get a link next to it. Thank you!

About Heather Erickson

I am an author, writer, and speaker and homeschooling mom of 3. Since doctors diagnosed my husband, Dan, with stage IV lung cancer in 2012, I’ve focused my writing and speaking on helping cancer patients and their families advocate for themselves and live life to the fullest, despite their illness. My goal is to help people face cancer with grace. My books are available at Amazon.com:

The Memory Maker’s Journal 

Facing Cancer as a Friend: How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer

Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer

I also blog about living with cancer at Facing Cancer with Grace.