Embracing my Wild Writer Identity (And How to Embrace Your Own): By Samantha Szumloz

As writers, there can be pressure to write in one literary genre. Editors, professors, colleagues, and even loved ones may pigeonhole us into a corner because we “write well” or we’re “known” for writing in a specific mode. They may not have a clue that they’re doing this to us. They may see it as merely encouragement, and most of the time, it is. However, in order to differentiate encouragement from pigeonholing, we have to answer this question: “Is this advice pushing me or restraining me from reaching my goals?” 

To make it clear, I believe it’s totally okay to write in one genre as long as it’s what the writer wants. On condition that the writer’s doing it for someone else, well, that’s when I raise my red flag. To me, writing is personal. If we’re not writing what we want to write, what’s the point of writing? 

I felt this pressure a great deal my first year of college. I didn’t have a concrete idea about what writing-related field I wanted to pursue. All I knew was that I liked journalism, poetry, and comedy writing. I had a journalism professor who adored my work. He threw internship and job opportunities at me as if I was the next Ann Curry. I was, to say the least, flattered. No one saw my writing the way he did, and that made me want to please him more by pursuing journalism, and only journalism. Yet I couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied. Yes, the newspaper business was an interest of mine, but could I see myself reporting on only politicians and wars for the rest of my life? I couldn’t. 

I needed a more creative path. 

When I hit my second year of college, I changed my minor to Creative Writing and added a concentration in Publishing and Writing for the Public, two fields that combined many of my interests. When I told my journalism professor about this, he let out an “awww!” of disappointment. The sadness in his eyes pierced my heart. Nevertheless, I inhaled and shrugged at the man. “I’m thinking about going into book publishing, instead,” I replied, leaving the conversation at that. 

Since then, I’ve been working with publications that mesh together creative writing and publishing, like Avant, Rowan’s undergraduate literary magazine, and Halftone, Rowan’s pop culture zine. Through these publications, I get to dabble in the genres I love, which leads me to this conclusion about myself: I am an undefined writer. At my core, I know I am a writer, but the type of writer I am is still in question. And that’s okay. I’ve learned to accept that who I am is okay. Maybe I don’t need to have a label. Maybe I can just write my heart out, and that’ll be enough. 

I’m more than halfway through college. As far as I know, I’m going to get my BA in Writing Arts in the spring of 2026. With that being said, I have some parting advice for everyone —  experiment. Experiment, experiment, experiment. If you like more than one form of writing, try them out! Learn what you like and don’t like when you’re young and full of new ideas. Listen to your intuitions, because you never know what you’re capable of creating.