Author vs Writer

From the time I was able to hold a pen and string sentences together I was compelled to write down the things I witnessed or overheard. I would write with extreme detail describing the colors, textures, and even smells of the places or how I imagined them to be. When given the task of writing in school with an end of the semester deadline, my work would be near complete that very evening. Writing, it seemed, was something that came easily for me. It wasn’t until I set out to have the world read my work that it became a daunting task.

“You mean after months or even years of writing this I may get rejected?” I almost died inside of the mere thought. I was more willing to walk across hot coals than to release my work onto the unforgiving world of publishing. The end result—my manuscript sat for years.

It wasn’t until one of my endless trips to the bookstore that I had an epiphany. The book I had just purchased and read was terrible but yet there it was in print, and I had bought it. This person had achieved something I had not. They went from Writer to Author. Not by having the skill, but by having the courage to let the world judge their work.

After closing the book (yes I read to the very end) I immediately opened up my manuscript on my pc. I reviewed it, polished it, and actually convinced myself to let it go. That is when I had become an Author. It was that courage to show myself through my writings that allowed me to cross that divide.

My question to all aspiring authors is are you really an Author or still a Writer? To become an Author you must be ready to face and handle the criticism, both good and bad, that come along with it.