Not a writer? I used to think the same thing

_{Day 127/100}

Hey—It's Tim. 

I'm not a writer.

At least, that's what I used to say. Yet here I am, writing to you—over 120 days straight.

Writing newsletters,
posts,
emails,
and prompts to tens of thousands of eyeballs every single day.

Weird flex, but it’s true.

The day I became a writer

I write more words daily than many professional authors—emails, Slack messages, social posts, articles—but I never saw myself as a writer.

Then something funny happened.

After 100+ days of showing up, tapping keys, and hitting send, it became impossible to deny:

I'm a writer.

It's not about wearing a beret or sipping espresso at a sidewalk café (though I do love espresso).

It’s about clarity.

Communicating ideas in ways people actually understand.
Making complex stuff simple.

My go-to writing ritual

Here's how I trick myself into starting:

• Open a doc and write: “This isn’t a blank page.” (Thanks, mum.)

• Brain dump. Zero judgement.

• Walk away. Brew coffee. Let ideas marinate.

• Come back fresh. Organize, ruthlessly edit. (Thanks, John.)

• Read out loud. Cut anything awkward.

Boom. You've got yourself a coherent thought.

Identity matters

When I finally said, "Yeah, I'm a writer," I started enjoying it.

Same thing happened when I decided I was a runner. An athlete. A cook. Those labels felt pretentious at first, but eventually, they stuck.

And now they help keep those habits alive.

There are things we’ll always be—adding new identities to the list makes life richer.

How I made it “almost” enjoyable.

Get good at typing.

A while back, someone at my fancy agency job watched me type and said I looked like a drunk T-Rex playing piano.

🍺🦖🎹 Two fingers, frantic pecks. Occasionally, a thumb. It stung.

That night, out of sheer embarrassment, I signed up for typingclub.com and spent weeks mastering finger placement.

Now I clock in around 85 words per minute. Not because I dreamt of Hemingway, but because I was tired of typing like a dinosaur.

I’m out. Got more things to write about.

✌️ Tim "Not a T-Rex" Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

Same brain, different platforms: X, Threads, LinkedIn.

P.S. Remember every great article started out as:

• A bad article

• A blank page

• Likely some amount of panic

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