When can I call myself a writer?

So far I have written two books for kids, one book on bicylcing and now I have in the works a novella on Christian faith. That last one is sort of a chore because at times I am troubled with my personal faith factor.

To write or not to write is not the question but if asked the answer is yes. I am never set out for this but at 50 years old maybe it's time for the adventure. I'm judgemental and opinionated so two things that let me spout off about a lot of stuff. Most the time it's crap and just sounds like an angry old codger.

Whatever.

Are you a writer when you are published or can you be a writer without being published? That is the question.

First request by a literary agency

This has been a week that was exciting. Finding in my email inbox a request from an agency for my manuscripts. Baby and Buddy are getting evaluated and I hope this agency will take me on as a new author in children's books.

Today I received that my manuscripts were received and evaluation will take 2-3 weeks. I have my fingers crossed. I don't want to go the self [vanity published] route. Sure I can call myself published but am I really?

I want that legitimate claim of being handled by an agency, presented to a publisher, having them like my books and saying we want to publish your work. I didn't set out to be a writer. The thing is I have always been a idea person.

Ideas hit me all the time, most of them coming while doing some mondane thing and the thought of a better way comes up. Lot of times when I'm riding my bike these ideas form.

The book thought has been in my mind for a long time, but the ideas of a different story were there. Those ideas and those thoughts will come out in print later. I have formulated the ideas, I have the tools ready and some are already started or near completion.

This is cool.

Children's books completed

I finished two books for children and it was easy because I wrote about what I know. I know about my children and what we as parents did when they were little.

All this time went by and it didn't hit me until 2010 during the summer that I can or want to write. Oh sure they are just simple books for small children but the feelings they brought out of me had long been forgotten.

So much so, as I read them to my wife the story I read made me cry. Made her cry too. What made us cry was that our kids are no longer little and in the next few years they will be having their own. Our time with our own littles has come and gone. At times we feel like something was missed or wasted. But what parent doesn't feel that way?