So you want to be a writer? Then write!
Too many people want to write, talk about writing, and dream of writing. I was in writers' groups with "writers" who never seemed to produce. They frustrated me, and probably themselves, too.
I guess wanting and dreaming is a starting point, but at some time you've got to move from wanting to write, talking about writing, and dreaming of writing to the actual work of writing.
I dreamed of writing long before I sat down to a keyboard and pounded out my first novel. The dreaming stage is not bad or evil or a waste of time. I believe you've got to grasp a dream and play it out in your mind and heart before you take action.
You've got to figure out if you can learn how to reach your dream, and you've got to decide if the dream is worth the cost. There's always a cost. The novels I've written have represented hours and hours alone with my computer, creating stories. That's time that could have been spent with my family. The price was high, but I was willing to pay that price.
Remember that great dreamer from the Old Testament? Joseph? Now he had some incredible dreams. I like to think of Joseph as a role model for dreamers.
The truth is, if you're actively pursuing a dream you're more likely to persevere. Writers who have dreams are writers who have a reason to continue, regardless of their current level of their success. Publishing is so subjective. If one editor passes on your manuscript, perhaps the next editor will love it.
So, getting back to our hero, Joseph. He was a BIG dreamer, but Joseph was also a hard worker. See? There's a correlation. Dream, but work.
The difference between dreaming and thinking and wishing you were a writer and being a writer is the work it takes to actually become a writer.
How can you do that?
Set a schedule of when you can write
Write for at least 15 minutes a day
Connect with other writers
Brush up on the craft of writing
Pray over your efforts
Keep your dream alive
Bless you as you sit down to write, as you puzzle out the stories in your head, and as you submit your work to agents and editors. Keep dreaming, but keep writing. That's what makes you a writer.