Writing Under My Own Name for the First Time Really

I'm still not convinced that's the best image for this story. My very first on this platform. It feels a bit too forced. It's apt though. After all, this is the beginning of a journey of sorts for me.

I'm not really sure if it's as treacherous as traveling to Mordor or the island of Ithaca after the Trojan War. However, it still feels like a challenge.

I've spent the last 10 years or so writing for other people without credit. No byline or even "thanks to Paul for all his hard work". Which is fine. It's the nature of things and although there are times when I wished things were different, when I look at a client's site and think "you wrote that" or "that was one of your best, Paul", I do enjoy the anonymity of it in a way.

Besides if my name was attached to anything and everything I've ever written for a client that's been published online, Googling myself would be a very odd experience.

"Why You Need to Invest in Regular Maintenance for Your Air Conditioning Unit by Paul Stewart", "Important Reasons for Using Report Automation by Paul Stewart" (this was something I had to write about recently, though the title has been changed and that's why I chose the image below), and "Tips to Make Moving a Less Stressful Experience for Kids by Paul Stewart" alongside the countless pieces of content I have written on food marketing and cosmetic surgery sounds ridiculous in some ways.

I've toyed with the idea of writing on platforms like this or even running my own blog, but my confidence and workload always got the better of me.

I have started writing for Culture Slate. It means I get to write about some of the things I love with my name attached to it, which is a nice change of pace from what I normally write about.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are people worse off and at least I have an interesting job that I started with very few actual qualifications. I'm self-employed and although I have to deal with clients, the current crop I have are great to work with and it's better working with/for them than any manager or supervisor I've had in employed positions. I have skimmed off a few clients in recent years...but the least said about that the better.

This job is something I just kinda fell into and discovered I was good at it. Writing web content and for blogs seemed to come relatively easy to me. At least in principle. There was a steep learning curve as I had to navigate the various rules and standards.

One thing I do enjoy is the research and learning aspect of my job. I have lost count of the number of times I have been able to say "I've written about that" when someone has asked for advice about some random subject.

It just would be nice to get some credit now and again. A concept in itself that I also struggle with because of Imposter Syndrome. That strong and unnerving feeling that I am going to somehow "be found out". To give you an idea of how bad, it's worth noting that I started writing the draft for this article several months ago and didn't return to it until now.

I mean, it's not like I am feeling considerably more confident right now, but I figure now as good a time as any.

After all, what's the worst that can happen.

I will soon see.

If anything, just as all of the 12+ years I've been writing for others has given me, this experience will give me experience. A chance to explore and improve.

I always wanted to be a writer of some description, but never felt capable. Now, at the very least I feel like I have a way in.

What can you expect from the next posts I publish? A random mix of everything and anything I want to write about!