Me writer, you skeptical.

I don't know this for sure, but I would guess that every serious writer has a transition moment when they stop thinking of their writing as a hobby and start believing that they're a writer who also has the necessary evil of a day job.

For me, it was the moment after I published my "Works" page on this very blog. I read it I don't know how many times, and the only thought going through my head was, "What the Hell am I thinking?!? I'm an honest-to-goodness writer now."

Now, when someone finds out that I write novels, I don't have to be embarrassed because I don't have a good response to, "So, what have you written?" Instead, I can rip off a list not only of what's done, but what's coming for the next two years.

This has led to its own unique experience: the looks on the faces of people who don't believe me when I tell them. This means pretty much everyone I talk to about it, by the way, so be ready.

Sure, there is the odd person who will take what you say at face value. However, most of the reactions will range from polite interest to outright doubt. I'd probably react the same way if someone told me they were a part-time bounty hunter or cage fighter.

It's an honor, in a way, because you've decided to embark on a career that most people can't comprehend that someone they know is doing it. To most readers, the writers they read just sort of popped into existence as pros; the humans themselves are sort of an abstract concept. That those same writers were once someone's co-workers isn't, for the most part, even considered.

But you know better. You write. You rewrite. You research. You read. You seek out blogs by established authors who have been where you currently are. You agonize over a sentence for an hour. You're putting in the work after work.

You'll see that doubtful look in someone's eye, the look that says, "Aw, they think they're going to someday make a living writing books. That's cute." But they don't know what you know. You're a writer, dammit. When you see that doubt, remember that the only job you have from that moment forward can be summed up in two words: prove it.