Category: A Writer’s Journey

I'm not sure if it's my age, my confidence within myself, or something else entirely, but I've noticed that I'm no longer afraid to have an opinion on public channels about certain topics.

Maybe this is tied to my decision to self-publish. Or maybe I've just gotten tired of trying to be politically correct all the time that I'm losing sight of me.

Whatever the reason, I see this as both a good and bad thing.

It's good, because I'm being me and no longer hiding portions of myself that bleed into everything that I do. There are ways that I phrase things that always creep into my writing, because my writing is just my thoughts on paper… even if I'm writing in the voice of another character.

It's bad, because I'm opening up myself to the lynch mob. I could so easily say something that could be taken out of context, at which point, the "politically correct" mob would have a field day at my expense.

But that too can also be seen as a good thing, because I know that the people who get me will be willing to help me defend myself if a lynch mob ever attacks.

I can't please everyone, and I've stopped trying. Instead, I write what I feel needs to be said in the way that I feel my characters need to say it. I know that some readers might find the way I say things as offensive, but to quote my daughter: "That's a them problem, not a me problem."

There are so many things that we need to think about when we start publishing, regardless if you are traditionally or self-publishing. And some things can seriously do your head in.

One area that has caused me some minor frustrations lately has been my PO Box.

Sit back, and I'll tell you the tale.

The debate about whether a person is an author or a writer seems to come up frequently. And it is often in the context of whether a person has the right to call themselves an author or a writer.

It seems like a silly argument to be having, but when the self-doubt monster is involved, those words carry significance.

In today’s post, I want to explore the subtle differences between what it means to be a writer vs an author. And I want to explore when a person makes the transition from one to the other.

Every year, I encourage the members of my various writing groups to pick a word or a phrase that will be a signpost for their actions (and decisions) for the coming year. The idea is that we often know that there is an aspect of our lives that we want to change (improve) in some way. But instead of making a New Year’s resolution that we forget and ignore, we’re providing our subconscious brains with a mantra that we can repeat over and over, helping to guide our actions.

I started doing this myself back in… I think it was 2016. At first, it was just recognizing an aspect of my personality that seemed to be ingrained into my psyche. The word eventually grew to a short phrase.

10 years later, and I still set a word or a phrase for the coming year. And this year, in a way, I’ve set both.

2026 Phrase: Commit to Self

2026 Word: Self

This year’s word and phrase are not about being selfish. It’s quite the opposite. But they are about realizing that if I don’t take the time to recharge and shut away from the world occasionally, I’m going to burn out. And in certain interactions with others, if I don’t put myself first in the equation, others will continue to walk all over me, taking advantage of my goodwill.

It’s time to take the time to discuss what my 2026 word and phrase mean to me.