Insecurities...

... we all have them.

I'm going to be honest here, when I first started putting myself out there as a writer, I had insecurities. I chose a western pen-name for two reasons, and one of them was to make me sound less Asian (now of course, I only keep the good reason for my pen-name, but that would be a different blog post all together).

I also hesitated in letting my readers know my age, race and citizenship. All these because I was afraid of what they would think of me. Would they judge me base on where I am from? Will I be stereotyped?

There is definitely nothing wrong in asking those questions, especially when stereotype is common in the storytelling world. Asian writers are not having their works adapted as much as those in the US and UK. Asian writers usually write cultural drama books. Asian writers this, Asian writers that...

Lets also not forget how 'young' writers are perceived by 'older' writers. Young writers have less experience. Young writers have not honed their skills enough. Young writers this, young writers that...

Those were the reasons why I chose to hide my identity... until I realized that my works speak for themselves. My readers do not care where I am from, they actually judge me base on my works! When I saw how all those factors did not matter, I began to open up.

Last year, when I shot a vlog for my blog I revealed a few things about myself. Today, I can comfortably tell you my race, age and citizenship, because who I am... is what's inside.

Since I've shut the door to insecurities, I also learned to accept that I am who I am because God made me that way. He could have placed me in another country and He could have made me older, but He chose a time and place for a reason. By accepting who I am and not running away or hiding the truth, I am acknowledging that I have faith in myself and in God. When that faith is established, I am no longer insecure!

So, if you are facing the same thing, remember that who you are is what's inside. Everything else... does not matter. Really. They do not matter! Just believe in yourself and shine :)