Episode 011 – Own Your Authorship

In this week’s episode, we tackle that voice that tells us we aren’t “real” authors because of the software we use, or the way we get our stories to readers.

It’s my hope that this short episode will remind you that you are a real writer and help you to shrug off the bitter voices of naysayers the next time you encounter them.

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Listen now wherever you stream podcasts.

Transcript

Hello Navigators. Welcome to Writer Roadmap, the podcast for writers seeking inspiration, guidance, and support on their creative journey. I’m your host, Holly Lyne, and in today’s episode, we’re going to discuss a topic that’s near and dear to me: not allowing other people to dictate how you think of yourself, especially in the realm of writing.

We all have different techniques, habits, and rhythms. We use varying tools, or maybe none at all. Maybe you’re a fan of Scrivener, or perhaps, you prefer the classic pen and paper approach. Maybe you plot every detail of your story meticulously, or maybe, you allow the story to unfold as you go, following your intuition. And you know what? That’s all okay.

What matters is this: you take ideas from your head and transform them into stories that people enjoy. That’s the essence of being an author.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the ‘how-to’s’ and the ‘shoulds.’ There are countless articles, books, and courses out there telling us how to write, when to write, and what to write. While many of these resources can be invaluable, they can also unintentionally seed doubt. Doubt about our methods, our abilities, and, ultimately, our identity as writers.

If you’ve ever heard someone say you’re not a “real” writer because you don’t adhere to a particular method or because you haven’t been published in a certain way, I want you to shake off that negativity. Don’t let someone else’s preconceived notions limit your creative identity. The definition of a writer isn’t set in stone – it’s fluid, it evolves, and it’s deeply personal.

You are an author. If you have the courage to articulate your thoughts, the creativity to breathe life into characters and worlds, the persistence to translate ideas into words, then yes, you are an author. Your method doesn’t define you, your results do.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek to improve your craft. Learning, growing, and evolving are integral parts of a writer’s journey. But remember, guidance and advice should serve to empower you, not diminish you. Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, and add what is uniquely your own.

Your journey as an author is unique. You’ll have your own set of challenges and victories, lessons and growth. There will be people along the way who will encourage you, support you, and understand you. But there will also be people who might unintentionally project their insecurities, biases, and limitations onto you.

Remember, they don’t define your authorship – you do. Let their words be like water off a duck’s back. Absorb the constructive, let the destructive flow away. Your value, your worth, your identity as an author, comes from within. It comes from the stories you weave, the characters you create, the worlds you build.
Writers are artisans of the imagination, architects of thought, sculptors of language. We exist in a realm where we create, explore, and narrate our inner universes. We shape the immaterial into the tangible, the imagined into the perceived.

So, hold your head high. Be proud of your work, your craft, your process. You don’t need a stamp of approval from anyone but yourself. And always remember, you are the master of your narrative, both on the page and in life.

On that note, let’s put our pens to paper, our fingers to keys. Let’s dive into our worlds, lose ourselves in our stories. Because we are authors, and this is what we do.

As always, I’m here to help guide your writer’s journey. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this podcast with your fellow writers.

Be sure to follow me at my new Instagram account @writerroadmap

Until next time, happy planning.

Writer Roadmap intro and outro music used under license from Pixabay. Music track “Salangseuleoun” was Created by “Dayfox”.