For years fear held me back from starting something I had dreamed of since I was a little girl.

I wanted to be a writer.

All around me I saw writers producing a new book every year, with tons of novellas and blogposts in between. Words seemed to drip from their fingers.

I thought, maybe this writing thing won’t be so hard after all. Yeah, right. That belief turned out to be wrong on so many levels.

Writing was hard work, at least for me.

From the first words I put on the blank screen in front of me, until I finished my first novel four years later, every single day I struggled to get the story on page. Sure, some days were easier than others, but every time I saw the empty void looming in front of me, I was consumed with intimidation and fear of failure.

Fear of rejection showed up in my writing days resulting in perfectionism and procrastination. It slowed me down.

Questions of self-doubt filled my mind. What if I’m the only one who thinks I could be a good writer? What if I suck at this and end up failing?

Insecurity and anguish mocked me, their condemning words echoing in my ears.

I struggled to accept the truth, that at the core of me I already was a writer. I just needed to own that identity.

You Have Permission…

I didn’t understand that before I could really find my voice as a writer, I needed to own that identity. I needed to realize I had permission to be who I was. Activity would follow.

I was in the process of becoming what some part of me realized I was.

So I began my search. This is when I began to get the help and inspiration I needed. I searched online for people who were already doing what I wanted to do and began to be mentored by other writers through blogs, podcasts and Webinars.

All this research took a long time. I was desperate for answers.

Suddenly it was like a light switched on in a dark room. At last, I realized that all these years I had been waiting for permission. Somewhere in my subconscious mind, I let those negative voices become something much bigger. I realized I had been waiting for someone to choose me.

I needed to choose myself. It was time to realize I was a writer.

That moment was the starting point for me. I’ve continued to write, and I’m in editing mode right now with the second book in the series. Everyday I still continue to choose myself when I sit down to write.

Maybe you’ve had a dream to be a writer. Maybe you’re even working on a book right now, but you feel stuck. Maybe you’re not sure of the next steps to take to realize your dream of writing and publishing your book.

If that’s where you’re at, I want to let you know there’s a way for you to learn how to write, publish and market your book and to learn it faster than I ever did. And you’ll be taking notes from bestselling authors who have been just where you are right now.

I hope you choose yourself. That, even if you have doubts and fears that you could actually write a book, that you’ll give yourself permission to try.

Choosing myself and embracing my identity as a writer is something I wish I had done years before I actually did. I really hope you don’t wait.

I hope you’ll decide to follow your writing dreams. Do it today. You’ll be happy you did.

Believe in yourself. Choose yourself. You are a writer.

Have you had fears that have held you back from writing your book? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.