Writing fulfills a need in me that nothing else can, and you probably feel the same.
Hi Steemit community, I’m @Jbencomo, and today I can tell you, I’m a Writer. But until very recently I wouldn’t dare to call myself that.
I’ve been drawn to writing since I was a child, typing my first story on one of those ancient, mechanical typewriters until my tiny fingers ached - something about two blades, twin warriors and a dragon - when I was around 8yo. Since then, life got in the way many times, and I became increasingly better at making up excuses to avoid writing.
Sure, I scribbled here and there. But really, most of the time I just ended up putting it off indefinitely. Convinced at some level that being a “writer” was some mystical art only a select few could even aspire to, let alone get good at.
It went like that for over two decades.
All through that time, I was able to calm the compulsion - and make no mistake: if you are a writer, it is a compulsion - by absorbing stories anywhere I could find them; books, lyrics, tabletop RPG’s, video games… But eventually, I realized the truth: There is no spoon… and also that we write, not because we can, but because we cannot avoid it.
Sure, you can put it off. I did, for more than 20 years. I’m sure some do so for a lifetime.
But in the end, it gets you. And it does so with a blazing passion that consumes you, either with the drive to make up for the lost time or a paralyzing regret over it.
It has been slightly over a year since that moment came for me.
It was right after a surgery that changed my life for the better - nothing serious, fortunately; just serious enough for me to take a look at my life and make much-needed changes - and one of those was committing to follow my passion.
Since then I’ve dedicated all my energy to learning the craft. I’ve seen how beautiful, extensive and sometimes outright overwhelming the whole subject is.
So it came to me the idea of creating a place where I could sort out, backup and share with other like-minded people the things I learn along the way, the practical exercises that get me writing and the awesome - and more often than not, free - resources I find on-line for it. All from the perspective of a newcomer.
When my good friend 
So what changed? When did I stop feeling insecure about referring to myself as a writer? When did that sense of not deserving to do so disappeared?
It was more of a process than a particular moment in time, to be honest. Somewhere along the line, along dozens of books read, several courses taken and over 100 thousand words of manuscript written, the ingredients coalesced, and the alchemy happened: I stopped feeling like someone pretending to be something and realized I already was, a writer.
And although I can’t pinpoint precisely when it happened, I can tell you exactly what the driving force was behind the shift: interacting with other aspiring writers.
Learning you are not alone, that others go through the same insecurities, that struggle with similar aspects of the discipline, and above all finding out you can help them through their process with things you learned in yours… helped me feel like part of a whole, like I belonged... like I deserved the title.
So listen - or more accurately, read - I’m just a noob who loves writing and is learning everything he can to get good at it, but I’m confident that somewhere along the line, sooner rather than later, I will have something of use for you on the matter.
Even if it’s something as simple as an exercise you can use or a quote that inspires your own creative process.
But just in case we never see - read - each other again, let me give you what I think is the single most important piece of writing advice you’ll ever hear:
Write. As much as you can, as often as you can.
It doesn’t matter if it’s just a sentence a day, as long as it comes from a place of creativity and passion, you’ll be that much happier and that much closer to being the writer you want to be.
You don’t have to take my word for it, set yourself a writing goal - as simple as you can to begin with - be disciplined and stick to it for a month, then come back and tell me how you feel.
On the other hand, if you stick around, my plan is to create a place to pass on the things I learn about writing, share the occasional story of my own and all around promote, learn and teach as much as I can about the craft to those who share my passion.
If that sounds like something appealing to you, don’t hesitate to follow me and say hi in the comments below.
I’m excited to join the Steemit community, and I hope you’ll receive me like one of your own.
Thanks for reading this far, regards & Happy Writing.
PS: The picture was taken in the "Puente de La Mujer" (Spanish for Woman's bridge) in BA - Argentina.