Hello there, I’m
Maria
Just like you, I dreamed of becoming a published author. To see my own words in print, bound together into something tangible and wonderful to hold in my hands.
My story and the story of the creation of A Confident Wordsmith is meant to inspire you to fulfil your dreams of becoming a great author. Yes, it is possible.
To know that no matter how hard knowing where to start may seem, how overwhelming and impossible it can sometimes feel to just keep writing, not matter how much you fear you don’t have what it takes to become a published author, YOU have everything you need to succeed inside of you. It is possible.
You have the superpowers you need to get your stories out into the world. You have the drive, motivation, and determination required to succeed in becoming a great published author. You can fulfil your dream.
Just like you, I knew I was born to write and share my stories with the world.
When I was younger, I too dreamed of being a published author, but I couldn’t see how that could ever be possible. I loved writing, in fact, writing for me was easier than speaking, but I wasn’t sure I had it in me to attain my dream of sharing my stories with the world. With immense support and positive feedback from my parents and writing instructors, I can now proudly say that I am a published author.
Passing that support and encouragement along to others who dream of being published has become by mission.
I created A Confident Wordsmith as a platform where I can support writers in their journey towards becoming the great authors they can be by showing them how they can use their authentic voice and the writing superpowers they possess within themselves to create stories with the confidence they need to share their work with the world.
I truly believe in the power and importance of writing. As someone who struggled with verbal communication due to an uncommon speech disorder all through my childhood and teenage years, I can confidently say that writing spared me a great deal of extra struggle and pain.
Writing was so much more than just putting words on paper, for me it was an outlet, it was freedom.
The uncommon speech disorder that I battled with is known as selective mutism which caused me to occasionally be completely unable to speak. Unlike with a stammer or mutism, my speech disorder was not obvious which made it difficult for people to understand what was wrong and difficult for me to explain.
This resulted in a lot of bottled up words and emotions and ultimately, frustration.
Selective mutism is akin to the absolute worst case of stage fright that you can imagine. When you try to speak, you can’t. It almost feels as though some very large and strong person has both their hands clasped around your throat and you feel like you’re suffocating. The words you desperately want to say are screaming within your head over and over again and your chest feels like it is going to explode from the pressure of unreleased emotion.
The way I coped with this was by writing. The putting of words on paper was the best way for me to get those words and emotions out.
When I struggled to communicate using my vocal chords, I could always rely on the written word. Writing was freedom.
That is why writing is so important to me and that is why I am so passionate about it and passionate about helping others use their writing superpowers too.
Writing is so much more than the act of putting words together on paper...
✒ Writing is about having the ability to use your authentic voice.
✒ Writing is about sharing your unique and wonderful perspective with the world.
✒ Writing is about leaving a legacy, making an impact, and building connections.
✒ Writing is about humanity.
To write is not a chore or a burden, it is a gift.
Professional Bio
Maria von Hatten is a published historical fiction author, freelance historian, and writing coach. She is the founder and CEO of A Confident Wordsmith where she supports and encourages writers on their way to becoming the great authors they can be by helping them realize their potential, use their authentic voices, and share their writing superpowers with the world.
She truly believes in the power and importance of writing and shares the support and encouragement that writers need in their quest to becoming published authors.