Stop waiting for permission

I’ve always written. But I haven’t always called myself a writer.

 

Somehow, it felt like a title that had to be bestowed by someone else. As though as some point I would reach some kind of indeterminate level of professionalism which would qualify me to actually ‘be’ what I doing. I had already had a few freelance jobs, so I knew people were willing to pay me for working with words, but still, in my mind, that wasn’t enough. Surely there was some official signifier that I hadn’t hit yet.

Except that no-one actually does ever tell you you’re a writer. And so one day, I just decided. I ordered some business cards, and right underneath my name, I had them put one word –