Of course, reality… doesn’t quite match the fantasy.
Becoming an author is less a single moment and more a long, bumpy path paved with half-finished drafts, imposter syndrome, and coffee-fuelled panic. It is simultaneously one of the most rewarding and most confronting journeys a creative can take.
But here’s the beautiful part: you don’t need to be published to be an author. You need to write. That’s it.
Where It Really Begins
For most of us, it starts quietly. A story idea while walking the dog. A poem scratched into the corner of a sketchbook. A “what if…” that refuses to leave us alone.
We write secretly at first. Hesitantly. Maybe even a little apologetically.
Then—if we’re lucky—we keep going.
You don’t have to know everything. You don’t need a full plot. You don’t even need to write chronologically. But you do need to keep showing up for the page, even when it doesn’t love you back yet.
The Not-So-Glamorous Truth
Writing is hard.
Not because you can’t do it, but because you care so much about getting it right.
You will second-guess yourself.
You will compare your messy first draft to someone else’s polished fifth novel.
You will wonder if you’re wasting your time. (You’re not.)
Some days, you’ll reread your work and smile. Other days, you’ll want to delete the whole document and start over from scratch. That’s normal.
But here’s the trick: authors aren’t the ones who never doubt themselves.
They’re the ones who keep writing anyway.
Let It Be Personal
The best stories come from a place of truth—even in fiction. They carry echoes of who we are and where we’ve been. Sometimes the writing is soft. Sometimes it’s raw. Sometimes, it’s a dark little piece of you that you didn’t know needed to come out until the words appeared on the screen.
Over on abbie-shores.com, I share some of my own stories—fictional but rooted in personal truth. Dancer is one of those pieces: dark, intimate, and pulled from past shadows. Gardener, by contrast, is a story of quiet hope. Neither came easily, but both helped me grow. That’s what writing does—it grows us, even as we struggle with it.
Real Help for Aspiring Authors
- You are allowed to write badly. First drafts aren’t meant to be perfect. They’re meant to exist.
- Don’t wait to be ‘qualified.’ There’s no exam to pass before you can write your story.
- Start small. Flash fiction, journaling, a scene in your head—any of these count.
- Protect your writing time. Even ten minutes a day adds up.
- And finally—share when you’re ready. Not when it’s flawless. When it’s finished.
You’re Already Closer Than You Think
Being an author isn’t about publishing deals or social media followings. It’s about choosing to write—and continuing, even when it feels thankless. It’s about creating something that didn’t exist before you dared to bring it into being.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be persistent.
So go on. Write.
And when you’re ready to share, someone out there will be ready to read.
