Owning the Title of “Writer”–Whenever and However You Can

nanowrimo:

As we near the end of the month, maybe you’re realizing that you probably won’t make it to 50K. But that’s ok! Participant Christine Astor is here to remind you that your story matters–and you ARE a writer!–whether you wrote 50 words or 50,000 words during the month of November:

I struggle to claim this title, but I’m a writer. 

I struggle with it because it’s not my profession. I’ve been writing since I was about 11 years old and as much as I think I should probably call it “writing for pleasure,” it would feel disingenuous to do so. When I write, it’s out of necessity. I feel a surge of inspiration and need to get the words, stories, feelings out on paper somewhere. 

This is my first time participating in NaNoWriMo and I’m pretty sure I won’t be cracking that 50K this month. I didn’t think I would when I decided to sign up, and that wasn’t the point. My purpose was to give myself some discipline. 

I don’t have a lot of time to devote to my craft. My 9 to 5 job takes up most of my day. Now, also subtract the six hours of sleep I get a night. And don’t forget that I’m also working another part-time job, maintaining a long-distance relationship (thank god we’re at least in the same time zone), and occasionally even feeding myself. So when do I write? When indeed. 

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