I Called Myself a Writer Before I Had Written the Story

Sometimes purpose asks us to name who we are before we have the proof to support it.

I was chewing the meatballs like gum; the flavor was gone. The small plate of hors d'oeuvres that initially started as “something to do” with my hands, slowly found their true purpose in this moment, my own personal comfort and anxiety management tool. My wide-eyed expression, loud “Mmmm” sounds of how good the meatballs were on my plate far exceeded the typical family function meatball flavor. I’m sure someone just thawed some frozen meatballs, threw them in a crockpot and added some standard sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. I mean, they were still good but not THAT good. I needed them to be though, hopefully distracting everyone in the little circle from my BOLD declaration of being a writer.

Why would I introduce myself to them as a writer? At this time, I had yet to put words on paper. These weren’t strangers. I was meeting my husband’s extended family for the first time and this was going to be the “news” that circulated the family about who I was. I could have easily introduced myself with information easily verifiable.

I’m not sure why I felt bold enough to proclaim myself a writer having no evidence to show for it. This is happened sometime in 2020. My now sister-in-law and I were doing our rounds together at one of our first extended family dinners. Finding a comrade at these types of events is essential. It made it less scary not being the only new kid on the block at a family function. This was the type of gathering where you introduced yourself for the first time, establishing first impressions and such.

One of the little pods, where women chatter about the day-to-day happenings of life, kids, careers, home decor, the conversation that led to my bold declaration started with “So Keisha, what are your hobbies?”

I responded way too easily for someone who had not yet proved they could even craft a story.

Confidently, I say, “Yeah, I’m actually working on a Christian fiction novel…”

Even more shockingly, there was a sense of excitement and even anticipation from the women in our little pod. They were leaning in, curiosity in their questions, excitement in the upward tilts of their eyes matching their curved, smiling mouths. I was taken aback by what I was seeing and feeling. I stood silent for a few moments. I stared in disbelief, thrown off by the encouragement. I wasn’t expecting more than just mild interest in their responses, you know, the polite inquisition but not meant to mean “I actually care about your hobbies”.

“What is the book about?”, the unnamed host of the family event asked (obviously I know who she is now). They wanted details and I only had some. I had not really put any of my ideas on paper yet; the stories I wanted to write were just ideas circling my heart and mind. Although not yet etched on any document, I had built a relationship with the unnamed characters and storyline I had been spinning and weaving in my mind.

I received a completely different reception than I expected. What about me and what I said was so believable that before even reading a word, I had those around me expecting this piece of work from me.

This was the beginning of me vocalizing what I had only timidly shared with my husband when we were alone. I wanted to be a writer. What felt like childish ambition, even in my 30s, was watered by the encouragement of others’ enthusiasm.

For about six years, I had dabbled with character development and story outlines, listening to podcasts, and reading books on writing and becoming an author. One of the books that shaped how I thought about storytelling was Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. If you're curious about writing fiction, it's still one of the first books I'd recommend. (https://amzn.to/4hyNXbq). It wasn’t until 2024 that I drafted an outline to what is my first Christian Fiction Novel “Hidden Treasure”. In 2025, I wrote a couple of letters to a few people, continuing to share that part of me I honestly did not know existed.

This year, 2026, I started creating and building the habit of writing. That year I participated in a 10-month Executive Program that coincidentally focused primarily on storytelling. One of the unexpected gifts from that experience was leading the writing and co-authoring our cohort's leadership book. If you're curious, you can find it here.(https://amzn.to/3TZZjM0).

Six years later, I realized my heart had made a promise that I echoed out loud in a small crowd of people before I'd ever written a word.

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Stay Inspired!

- K.D.