I Still Struggle to Call Myself a Writer

Say It Anyway

Even after all this time
All the words.
All the work.
I still catch myself hesitating.

I’ll be talking to someone about what I do, and instead of just saying,
“I’m a writer”…
I soften it.

“I do brand messaging.”
“I write for other people.”
“I help businesses find their voice.”

All true.
But not the whole truth.

Because the truth is…

I’ve always been a writer.

Long before I got paid for it.
Long before I had a website or a service menu or a client calendar.
Long before anyone saw it as a “real job.”

And still, some days, it feels hard to claim.

Maybe you’ve felt that too.

Like you need a certain title, a certain milestone,
a certain level of permission to say the thing out loud.

But here’s what I keep coming back to:

You don’t have to be published to be a writer.

You don’t have to be perfect to be a writer.
You don’t have to be “done” to be a writer.

You just have to write.

You have to show up for the part of you that needs to put words on a page to make sense of the world.
You have to believe that the voice inside you matters, even if it’s still shaking.
You have to trust that being in the middle of it doesn’t disqualify you from owning it.

So yeah…
I’m still working on it.

But I’m saying it anyway:

Hi. I’m Kelsey. I’m a writer.

Not because I always feel confident.
But because I’ve decided to stop waiting.

If you’re still waiting too, 

this is your nudge.

Say it scared.
Say it unsure.
Say it anyway.

We need your voice,
even if it’s still finding its footing.

- Kelsey 🤍