What You Should Do When Someone Tells You “You Will Never Be a Writer”

Don’t get upset — instead, get better.

Joanna Henderson
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Licensed via Freepik

Many of us like writing. We didn’t necessarily want to be writers or journalists in our teens, and our first word as a baby wasn’t “typewriter.” Nevertheless, many of the world’s population associate themselves with creative arts, and writing is a popular form of artistic expression.

But we are used to people telling us we can’t write, or that we’ll never be writers, or that we should choose a more “prominent” (opportunistic, secure, financially-efficient, etc.) field. Because, you know, life is all about money and security — obviously, it’s not.

Here a kicker: nothing in our world is secure, and no one knows what may happen tomorrow. This is why, when someone tells you writing isn’t a sustainable career choice — remind them they can become jobless tomorrow, just like any one of us.

But what do you do when someone says that you will never be a writer? When they make a snobby comparison between you and William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens, and informs you there is no way you can become as famous as they are? How are you supposed to react when another person looks at you with a smirk and lets you know you aren’t good enough?

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Joanna Henderson
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Canadian. Mental health activist. Banker and financier who drinks too much coffee. Pursuing happiness and sharing my thoughts with others.