are you a writer?

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.  All life is an experiment.  The more experiments you make the better.  What if they are a little course, and you may get your coat soiled or torn?  What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice.  Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Hi, I'm Rachel," I said while extending my hand forward for a greeting shake.

"I'm Elizabeth, nice to meet you.  So... are you a writer?"

I turned the question over in my mind.  How should I answer that? I like to write, but I don't necessarily make a living doing it... I blog - does that mean I'm a writer? Do you have to have a finished product in hand to call yourself a writer? Like a book or magazine article?

The question wasn't just out of the blue, or out of context for that matter.   The introduction took place at a writer's conference in Atlanta this past weekend.  The conference consisted of about 100 other women, mostly from the Southern or Northeastern region of the U.S., all of us either hoping to become published authors, improve our writing or market our current writings more effectively.  To be frank, I surprised myself by signing up for the event.  It was a risk.  I had no idea how good the conference would be, who would be in attendance, and if I would get anything out of it.

I decided that if I didn't push myself to learn, grow and develop as a writer, than I was doing a disservice to myself and stunting myself in what I truly love to do.  So Saturday morning, I checked my ego at the door and confidently hung the conference badge lanyard around my neck, committing to myself that I would attend every session, take notes and try to get the most out of the day.  It turns out, the conference far and beyond exceeded my expectations.

As I listened in each session to various speakers talk about writing, marketing and how to move yourself forward as an author, I felt energized, invigorated and motivated.  By the same token, I also had the realization that it is a self-motivating job.  No one will check behind me to see how much I've written this week, the next or for the month for that matter.  If I want to be a writer, it's up to me to push, take risks and produce.

My favorite speaker of the event was the author Emily Giffin, who has five published novels, her first of which has been made into a movie that is currently in theaters called Something Borrowed.

Emily Giffin's Website

Ms. Giffin was honest, and forthcoming in her advice about becoming an author.  "You just have to start.  Start putting words down on the page."  It was perhaps the most fundamental and simple piece of advice, but it was what I needed to hear.  

I'm grateful to Skirt! magazine, who put together the wonderful conference.  Skirt! Website  

This weekend I learned that I am a writer, I love to do it and there are endless possibilities ahead of me if I continue to take risks, put myself out there and just write.