I was recently invited to speak on an author’s panel at a small writer’s retreat. As the moderator posed questions to the panelists, I found my brain spinning potential answers in an attempt to formulate a semi-intelligent response.
Suddenly, the moderator asked, “Do you identify yourself to others as an author?” Silence. After an uncomfortable pause – at least it was uncomfortable to me – I said, “No, but I tell them I wrote a book.” If that response makes you chuckle, then you have something in common with the audience of about 30 writers.
The word AUTHOR feels heavy to me. I have looked up to authors since I was a toddler. The authors of my childhood created worlds that allowed me to escape, no matter what was going on in my life. That is still true. I look at the world around me and I see a dumpster fire, but in five minutes I can be somewhere else inside the pages of a book. It is magic. Authors create magic. And that is a lot to live up to.
So what does it mean to be an author?
Authors are vulnerable. Most of us care what readers think of our books. We compare ourselves to other authors even though we know we shouldn’t. We struggle with Imposter Syndrome. We want to be good at our craft, but we just don’t know if we are. I feel this in my soul.
- Authors are empaths. In order to write characters readers will care about, we have to care about what makes life and the people in it both wonderful and flawed. We feel for our characters. All of them. Even the bad guys.
- Authors are motivated. We don’t have a boss making sure we get the words written, and we don’t have a weekly paycheck to motivate us. We make our own schedules and we only answer to ourselves, so I guess that means if I want to be an author, I have to write.
- Authors are creative. Any author will tell you this is the best part of the job. Last night the ideas hijacked my sleeping hours. This is not unusual and I fully embrace it. Writing is not something I choose to do; it is something I have to do.
- Writers are marketers. Authors promote their own work and network to get the word out about our books. We create websites and social media accounts, and if we want to sell books, we need to spend time adding content to keep readers informed and interested. This is not the fun part of the job for me and I will fully admit that I struggle to do this. Does that mean I’m not an author?
- Authors are small business owners. We need to keep all of our own records. We are in charge of the plan, the budget, and the writing. We buy our supplies. We decide where and when we work. We promote our products and try to convince other business owners to promote our products as well.
- Authors are our own biggest critics. We always think we should be logging more hours, writing more pages. We feel guilty taking time off. We forget how far we’ve come in our journey to get where we’re going.
Authors have a vast array of approaches to this craft. Maybe you write better in the morning or maybe you’re a night owl. Perhaps you are a plotter, or maybe a pantser. You might work at coffee shops, in your home office, or at your kitchen table. The most important thing I have learned is that regardless of whether we are introverts or extroverts, it is essential that we name it and claim it.
So here it goes. MY NAME IS ANGELA ROLOSON AND I AM AN AUTHOR.
How about you?