Take Yourself Seriously as a Writer

Sarah Hodon posed an interesting question recently on her blog, “Adventures in Writing.”  In a post titled “When Did You Start Taking Yourself Seriously as a Writer,” she pointed out that we can’t expect editors and agents to take us seriously, if we don’t take ourselves seriously.

Do you take yourself seriously as a writer?  This can mean:

• Having a work area that is yours and yours alone.
• Making sure that you get uninterrupted work time — which may mean not answering the phone.
• Writing, if not daily, on a regular basis.
• Writing while letting your spouse take the kids to soccer.
• Taking time to get together with your fellow writers.
• Taking advantage of opportunities to improve as a writer — this can mean attending a conference or a critique group.
• Introducing yourself as a writer without apologizing in any way, and that includes saying “but I haven’t sold anything yet.”

Do you take yourself seriously as a writer?  Sarah’s right.  You have to before the rest of the world will do the same.

–SueBE