Your Writing Deserves to Be Taken Seriously, Even If You’re the Only One Doing It Right Now
You don’t need a client, publisher, or byline to justify your writing time. It’s worth doing because it matters to you — period.
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A million things are pulling at your attention right now: clients, kids, Slack pings, groceries, emails, dishes, and deadlines.
Even your most well-meaning friends or family can accidentally chip away at your creative time with a casual, “Can’t you just do it later?”
Guess what? Those things will always be there. Real life isn’t going anywhere. It’s frustrating, but it’s not your fault.
The truth is, many people will dismiss your writing time… not because they don’t care about you, but because they don’t understand what it takes to build something creative, consistent, and real without a guaranteed outcome.
They’ll take it more seriously once there’s a paycheque. A byline. A book launch.
But right now? You might be the only one protecting that time. And that’s okay.
Here’s what I want you to remember:
It is 100% valid to say no to coffee because you’re excited to finish that essay.
It’s okay to ask your partner to feed the kids because you blocked off this hour to write.
It’s okay to let the laundry sit unfolded because you're in the middle of a draft that finally feels like it's going somewhere.
It’s okay to close your inbox, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, and let a text go unanswered for an hour because this writing time is yours.
It’s not selfish. It’s not silly. And it’s not optional if this matters to you. No one else has to understand it, but they need to accept and respect it.
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Now, I’m not saying you should shuck all responsibilities aside and retreat into a writer’s cave. But if your writing is always the thing that gets bumped, paused, or canceled (by others or by you), it’s time to stand up for it. Because if you don’t, no one else will.
If you’re carving out time to write — before work, between meetings, after the kids go to bed — let’s be clear:
That work is valid. It’s real. And it deserves your respect.
Not someday. Not “when it’s published.” Not “when someone pays you for it.”
Right now. Before anyone else sees it. Before there’s proof it will “go anywhere.”
You don’t need a client to make your writing legitimate.
You don’t need a book deal to justify your creative time.
You don’t need someone else's permission to treat this like it matters, because it already does.
If you’re writing consistently, you’re building a body of work. When you’re learning, experimenting, and practicing, you’re growing your skills. Every time you show up, even when you’re tired or uncertain — you’re doing the thing. You’re a writer. You’re writing.
The only difference between an “aspiring” writer and a working one is that one of them decided to stop waiting and took themselves seriously.
So here’s your reminder: Don’t wait for external validation to act like your writing matters.
Start treating your time, your practice, and your ideas with the same respect you’d give a paying client or a firm deadline. Because when you take it seriously, other people start to as well.
And so, my challenge to you is this:
This week, block off one chunk of time — 15 minutes, an hour, whatever you can manage — and protect it like it’s a meeting with your most important client.
Don’t apologize for it. Don’t move it. Don’t downplay it.
You’re not “just writing.”
Even if no one else sees it yet, you do. And that’s enough.
Miranda
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