So this is actually my second time, reading this piece. I've recently started following you and love your work. But this post specifically, I truly connect with. This is the rude-awakening I need. I've been practicing writing my whole life. I wrote poems and short stories when I was little. Then I studied English and Creative Writing in college and got a wake up call, full of critiques on my pieces. I realized I don't read enough. I'm not like your colleague, who doesn't read at all. But I don't read everyday, and my writing suffers from it.

In addition, after graduation, I've been rejected by multiple writing jobs. After a while, because of social media and the people I surround myself with, I became obsessed with the title, more than the craft itself, as you mentioned. Again, my work suffers from it, because my intentions stop being authentic and it shows sometimes. Anyway, I appreciate this post a lot. Thanks for sharing!