Okay, I know who I am: Husband, stay-at-home Dad, eater-of-much-peanut-butter, and aspiring writer. But when do I get to actually say to people, when they ask me what I do, "I'm a writer." I try to stay as modest and as humble as I can, although saying this might read as being the opposite. After all, you don't say to people "Hey, I'm humble." You just are. You live it.
Having said that, I want to be careful to not seem too "all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips" to people who don't know me. "Oh, you're a writer, eh? What have you written? Nothing? Ooo, some writer you are."
I tweeted about this the other day: when do I get to call myself a writer? It hit me last week when I went to the dentist after several years of neglect, or anytime I fill out a survey, or questionnaire and that inevitable question pops up: Occupation, or Job, or Work. I've never put down writer. I guess I don't feel like I've earned it yet, having never actually sold anything. I've written a book, not many can say they've done that, but it's not ready to submit.
So, is that the criteria: books sold, or number of books written? ASPIRING WRITER just doesn't have the same ring as WRITER. I am writing stories. I work everyday writing those stories. But for now, I guess I'll just have to keep telling people that I'm struggling to become a writer.
"With great mediocrity comes great humility." Maybe that will be my quote until I've achieved what I believe needs achieving before I can self-gloss myself WRITER!