How to Take Yourself Seriously as a Writer

Do you take yourself seriously as a writer? Because I didn’t. There’s a difference between writing and seeing yourself as a writer. And yes, it turns out that difference matters more than most people think.

For a long time, I lived in that in-between space. I wrote. I posted. I created things I cared about. But somewhere in the back of my mind, there was always that quiet little disclaimer:

“I’m just someone who writes.” 

Not a writer. Not really. I did not take myself seriously as a writer at all. I was just someone dabbling. Someone figuring it out. Someone who didn’t quite want to claim it.

And whether I realized it or not, that mindset was shaping everything I did.

The “Just Someone Who Writes” Trap

When you don’t take yourself seriously as a writer, it shows up in ways that are almost invisible at first.

You hesitate to share your work.
You downplay what you’ve created.
You post inconsistently, or only when it feels “safe.”
You treat your writing like a hobby, even when it clearly means more than that to you.

And maybe the biggest one?

You wait.

You wait until you’re better. You wait until you’re more confident. You wait until someone else validates you. But here’s the problem with all that waiting. It keeps you stuck exactly where you are.

What Changed for Me

At some point, I had to be honest with myself.

I wasn’t lacking ideas.
I wasn’t lacking ability.
I wasn’t even lacking motivation.

I was lacking commitment to the identity. I had to stop treating my writing like it was optional. Like it didn’t count unless someone else decided it did. So I made a shift. I started looking at everything I was putting out into the world and asking one simple question:

“Is this something a writer would do?”

Not someone who writes sometimes. Not someone who might be a writer someday. A writer.

That meant showing up differently. That meant being intentional. That meant deciding that my platform, my content, and my voice actually had a purpose.

One Big Change I Made

This change has been happening gradually, but I made one big change today. It may sound silly to everybody else, but to me it was a powerful change. I have some very strong political views, and I’m not afraid to share them. I picked one social media platform, TikTok if anybody is interested, and I removed every single political post I had made. Now I’m sure you’re thinking “Big deal.” It was, there were over 400. Like I said, I am not afraid to share my opinions! But I decided that was where I was going to show that I take myself seriously as a writer. My TikTok is now a carefully curated stream of teaching and writing posts. Because while I am now take myself seriously as a writer, I also take myself very seriously as a teacher, and for me, the two go hand in hand.

What Taking Yourself Seriously as a Writer Actually Looks Like

When you take yourself seriously as a writer it doesn’t mean you suddenly have it all figured out.

It means you start acting like your work matters. Because it does.

• Showing up consistently, even when you’re tired or busy
• Sharing your work without apologizing for it
• Building things around your writing, not just waiting for inspiration
• Creating resources, stories, or content that reflect what you care about
• Letting yourself be seen instead of hiding behind “it’s not ready yet”

It’s not about perfection. It’s about ownership.

I did take myself seriously here, on this blog. I wrote consistently, I had a schedule and I stuck to it. But it was the other writing. The world building, the character crafting writing where I didn’t take myself seriously as a writer. Now I do.

The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

Writers write.

But writers who grow? They act like their writing matters. They don’t treat it like an afterthought. They don’t bury it behind other people’s expectations. They don’t wait for permission to take up space. They decide their voice is worth hearing. And that decision changes everything. Don’t get me wrong being someone who writes is a heck of a lot easier than being a writer. Well, maybe not easier, but it’s way less scary!

You Don’t Become a Writer Later

This is the part that took me the longest to accept. You don’t become a writer when you publish something. I’ve done that, and up until recently, I did not take myself seriously as a writer. You don’t become a writer when you make money.
You don’t become a writer when someone else calls you one. You become a writer the moment you decide you are one.

Everything else? That’s just growth.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to have it all mapped out. You don’t need a massive audience or a finished book or a viral post. You just need to stop treating your writing like it doesn’t count. Because it does. And so do you.

If you want another helpful perspective on building a steady writing habit, this article from Writers.com is worth a read.