The Stories Writers Tell Themselves
Aug 13, 2026 · 4 min · 7 segments
**Episode 4 - I can't call myself a writer until...** Writers spend a lot of time making up stories and not all of them end up in our books. *The Stories Writers Tell Themselves* is a free limited…
Katherine ColletteHostIt usually sounds something like this: I can't call myself a writer until I'm published, or I have an agent, or a book deal.
Other variations include, "I shouldn't take writing too seriously until something actually happens," and, "I can't ask for time from my family when I don't even have anything to show for it." In other words, writing only counts once someone else recognizes it.
This story feels convincing because we live in a culture that loves outcomes.
Publishing gets framed as the finish line, the moment where everything suddenly becomes official and you finally have proof.
So it's easy to start believing that writing only counts when someone else validates it, once an agent or a publisher says yes.
Until then, it can feel a bit like pretending, which creates a strange tension when you're doing the work, sometimes for years, but you're not letting yourself fully claim the identity.
It usually sounds something like this: I can't call myself a writer until I'm published, or I have an agent, or a book deal.
Other variations include, "I shouldn't take writing too seriously until something actually happens," and, "I can't ask for time from my family when I don't even have anything to show for it." In other words, writing only counts once someone else recognizes it.
This story feels convincing because we live in a culture that loves outcomes.
Publishing gets framed as the finish line, the moment where everything suddenly becomes official and you finally have proof.
So it's easy to start believing that writing only counts when someone else validates it, once an agent or a publisher says yes.
Until then, it can feel a bit like pretending, which creates a strange tension when you're doing the work, sometimes for years, but you're not letting yourself fully claim the identity.
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