When I realised I was producing short stories “to order” for various competitions on various subjects and generally was not finding this a problem. As I started to be shortlisted, this tended to confirm to my mind I could call myself a writer now being someone who was at the beginnings of a career. Every article I read tended to confirm I was doing the right things (which was encouraging). As I entered more competitions, I found myself getting better at meeting deadlines, something any professional writer needs to do. So I suppose overall it was a combination of doing the right things and not giving up and seeing publication as the ultimate goal but what I was doing on the way to meeting that goal is what any writer needs to do. Also I’ve always taken my writing seriously (it’s always been a wish of mine to try to earn some money from it) so for me when I’m at my desk I am working and not indulging in a hobby.
2014 was a strange year in some ways in that although I entered fewer writing competitions, I did well in more of those I did enter. So I think I'm learning to hone and target better. Plus there were my contributions to the Chandlers Ford Today website. All of these helped me feel I was a writer at last.