"It's been almost ten years, do you still consider yourself as an amateur writer?"
I started writing as a hobby way back in 2013. I remember it was influenced by the growing Wattpad phenomenon at that time. It was something that sparked a passion in my life. And the first ever story I wrote is about friendship.
I didn't know how to do it correctly. Grammar is incorrect. Punctuation is over the place. The sentence structure is nowhere to be found. Everything was a mess but I find it therapeutic to write.
Until 2016, I finally sat down and decided to really put effort on creating stories. I did my reaserch—sort of, reading online writing tips, advices, workshops, and other writing guidelines. I slowly learn how to weave a whole story from beginning to the climax and the ending. I consider it an achievement that I was able to create a believeable story.
But its been years, do I still consider myself as an amateur writer?
I don't know. It's a blurry line.
My passion for writing is inconsistent. The comfort of writing also became a discomfort. I paused for several months. I questioned myself if it's worth it. No one is reading my work. No one is curious about it. I doubt if my work is good or not. Did I really improve? Or am I just gaslighting myself over and over?
Maybe? Yes? No?
I finished writing three books and a couple of one shot stories. They are not perfect but I am proud I wrote them. Maybe my younger self will not believe I did something—I did it.
Maybe it's not the time that labels your skill level. Maybe it's not the amount of content you created. Maybe it does not matter if you are a beginner or a master in your craft. What matters is looking back and seeing the baby steps you took and now you parkour around them.
And I always say I am a work-in-progress person, an artist, and as an author. It's an never ending learning and even if you are an expert, you study and learn more.
How about you? Do you still consider yourself an amateur?