You don’t have to have a published work to be a writer.

Whether you’re beginning to brainstorm a story or have gotten a single word on paper, you’re a writer.

As a writer, you’ll have the most brilliant ideas at the absolute worst times. It’s part of writer’s syndrome. Start a notes section on your laptop or phone so you can quickly jot down a quick note when thoughts come to you. Whether you’re in the shower, sleeping, or grocery shopping, write it down! You’ll be kicking yourself later when you try to remember that perfect idea you had. Even if it’s just a single word that you hear someone say that sparks interest or you hear a word that would make a good setting or character description, don’t try to memorize it! Write it down!

Say you’re working on a project. You’ve completed half of it when you get inspired to create a new story. So, you brainstorm and research, your excitement for your new project increases, so you decide to take a break from your first project to work on your second. Then, a quarter of the way through your second project, you have a brilliant idea for a new story and decide to pause your second project and begin a third project.

You can start a work and then take a break for a few years while you work on other projects. Jumping from project to project doesn’t mean anything other than you have a ton of brilliant ideas! You aren’t abandoning or giving up on your works. You’re giving yourself and the story time to breath while you work on items that currently inspire you. This is completely normal!