On claiming my identity as a writer

It's time to claim yours, too

I’ve been writing for 20ish years in some capacity or other: My first peer-reviewed article came out in 2007 or 2008, and it’s been pretty much nonstop since then, whether I’m writing journal articles, or my dissertation, or a book manuscript, a magazine feature, or this newsletter.

But it wasn’t until after I founded Root (so, after 2018) that I actually said the words “I’m a writer!” and believed them. That’s over 10 years after I first published an article!

Of course, I was aware I had been writing that whole time, but for whatever reason the writing part seems like a sort of appendage slapped onto another job description or identity: An academic, a museum curator, etc. etc.

Writing was just part of the job, but it wasn’t the job.

But what if it didn’t have to be the whole job? What if I could be a writer: And call myself a writer, with pride and with absolute certainty, but still also do other things?

We, as a culture, have a perception of writers being people who only write. That’s it. Just wake up, eat breakfast, write, then write some more. Maybe have some whiskey during or after that process.

And while I admit there’s something appealing about Ursula K. LeGuin’s writing routine, or Kurt Vonnegut’s (did you know we used to live in the same apartment complex? But alas, not at the same time), that model doesn’t work for everyone’s lives, schedules, or temperaments.

And especially today, when many writers have to do other things to make ends meet. As a result, many of us don’t think we’re real writers, maybe because we’re worried that writing + other stuff (versus just writing) detracts from our writing.

But I think it adds to it: Giving a richness of experiences and perspectives that can inform your work, while also supporting you financially or in other ways so you are able to write, and, because you made time to write as a not-full-time writer, it makes each new byline even more sweet.

Claiming my identity as a writer has changed my landscape somewhat in that I prioritize writing more, and I often prioritize writing projects over other types work, but the biggest change has been in my mindset. It feels so liberating to say “I’m a writer!” with my whole chest, and it gives me the bandwidth for my own work and also, importantly, to help other writers too.

What would it mean for you to claim your identity as a writer?

Claiming your identity as a writer is about more than just saying it.

It's about believing it: Which, if you aren't used to the label, can feel intimidating at first. Because when you say you are something, then you actually have to follow through, right?

Well what if I told you that you're already a writer: And I don't just mean because you write words down on paper sometimes.

If you're reading this newsletter, based on what I know about my readers, you most likely approach your work with curiosity and excitement: You read widely on things you care about, and you read work by writers who inspire you to develop your craft.
You started writing because you want to write. You write words down on paper (or a computer) too, whether daily or weekly or whatever: And yes, you can be a writer and also not write every single day (I don't, I take weekends off).

Give it a try:

Say "I am a writer!" like you really mean it, either out loud or in your head (or substitute whatever other creative identity you want to cultivate here: Painter, musician, etc.)

How does it feel to say that? 

How does it feel in your body to claim that? Excited and tingly? Tight and tense? Both?

Maybe you are already an established writer who believes you are, well, a writer. 

Maybe you're new and you're still not fully bought into the idea that you have whatever credentials or experience to call yourself a writer (though I bet you do).

Either way, reinforcing to yourself that you are a writer, and making space (even just five minutes) to let yourself be a writer by, you know, writing, will go a long way in helping you claim what you already are.

You're speaking the world you want into being, in other words.

Something else that helps you claim your identity as a writer? Community. 

Having supportive loved ones and colleagues around who want to see you succeed, and who will cheer on your progress as a writer, is a huge boost. 

Tell those supportive folks that you are working on shifting how you speak about yourself: And that you're going to start talking about yourself as the writer you are.
Ask for their support in gently and lovingly help you course correct when you start talking down about yourself or talk about writing as a pie-in-the-sky fantasy ("well I want to be a writer, but I haven't published yet," "I don't know if anyone else thinks I'm a writer so I can't call myself that either," etc.)
And ask them to remind you you’re a writer, or to refer to you as a writer, or whatever else might help reinforce your identity or help you claim it more deeply.

It can also be helpful to brainstorm some ideas for what to course correct towards if you find yourself doubting your shiny new writer identity: 

• Maybe examples from your life and work that show that you have already been writing things, or that people are reading the things you write (whether it's a 1000-page novel, a newsletter issue, or the copy for an online course).

• Or maybe write down some of the things you love about writing, and why you're so excited to be a writer (not just to be a person who writes).

What has helped you claim your identity as a writer? Or, what’s holding you back from claiming it now?

If community and a supportive space would be helpful in your journey, however long you've been writing and however often you write, join me for Bloom: And take an extra 50% off the preorder price with the code SOLSTICE (there are also payment plans available). 

Your life as a writer begins the moment you're willing to claim it.

Let me help you step into your creative power in 2025! 

A very serious lil’ baby Julia from around the time my first article came out. I still have that hat!