No such thing as an aspiring writer
Hang around the #WritingCommunity hashtag on Twitter long enough and you will run into many, many people who claim to be “aspiring writers”.
They are lying.
There is no such thing as an aspiring writer.
Many of them will claim that they are aspiring writers because they have not sold any of their writing.
“Yes, I’ve written something, but I haven’t sold it.”
Since when does being a writer depend on selling something? You are a salesperson when you sell something. You are a writer when you write something. Maybe you are an aspiring salesperson?
But these same people will say that they are aspiring writers because they have not even published anything.
“Yes, I’ve written something, but I haven’t sold it.”
Since when does being a writer depend on publishing something? You are a publisher when you publish something. You are a writer when you write something. Maybe you are an aspiring publisher?
Some of these people will say that they are aspiring writers because they have not even shared their writing with anybody.
“Yes, I’ve written something, but it’s not ready to share with anybody yet.”
That’s OK. You have written for an audience of one. In time, hopefully you’ll feel confident enough to share, to seek feedback, to improve your writing and up your game. You might even one day publish what you’ve written. And if you are feeling entrepreneurial, you might even try selling what you’ve written.
You could sell it here on Substack. Or you could sell it on Amazon. Or you could sell it to a movie producer. It all depends on what you’ve written and what your business goals are.
But those are business goals, not writing goals.
Why “aspiring”?
Perhaps some of these people are feeling like they can’t write well enough to sell their writing as a book. Perhaps “aspiring” is a shyness that comes from lacking confidence, and it’s an easy term to hide behind.
Tongue in cheek, I suggested earlier that perhaps you are an aspiring salesperson or publisher. But are you really aspiring? Do you have a plan? What efforts are you making to move from having written something to getting from being a writer to being a published writer? Or a selling writer? Or just maybe even a bestselling writer?
Most people who call themselves aspiring writers have unfinished manuscripts. Some people might have been working the idea over in their heads for years before ever trying to write. Others have been fiddling with the manuscript for years and can’t seem to get it just right or can’t seem to pass some writer’s block they have.
Stop aspiring, start writing
Again, I ask, are you really aspiring?
If you can’t get it just right, it might simply be because you need to hire an editor. Every successful writer needs an editor to refine and perfect what they’ve written through a fresh set of eyes that is not beholden to your inner ownership.
If your manuscript has not reached the point where it’s ready for editing, you might need to hire a book writer. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. “I’m a writer, dang it all! I don’t need to hire a writer to write my book.”
The good news is that you just called yourself a writer. Congratulations. The bad news is that you are assuming that a writer cannot benefit from the help of another writer.
I run a team of ghostwriters. We’ve helped many writers take their ideas and craft publish-ready manuscripts. Some of our clients have vague ideas of characters and plot. Others have written pages and pages of world-building and character profiles. Still others come to us with draft manuscripts that include some passages of genius writing and many passages that really need to be rethought from scratch.
You are not an aspiring writer if you write. You are a writer. But you might not be a genius writer, either. It’s OK to hire someone to collaborate with. You are still a writer. More importantly, as the generator of the ideas, you are the author.
But if you are just sitting there staring at a blank screen you are aspiring very much. You might not even be writing very much. So, start writing now or hire somebody to help you continue writing where you got blocked. Be the writer that you are.