Why it took me 20 years to create this website

Photo by Billy Huynh on Unsplash

Let’s start with the uncomfortable truth: I’ve been putting this off for years. Decades, actually.

For 20 years — ever since my first magazine internship — I’ve been writing, editing, and helping brands find their voice. Yet somehow, creating a website for myself felt daunting.

But here we are. SimoneWu.com is finally live, and I’m equal parts relieved and mortified to be out there at last.

When you don’t fit the mould

You’d think after two decades of meeting deadlines — from beauty magazine features to APAC-wide content strategies — I’d have mastered the art of just getting on with it. Apparently not when it comes to myself.

I had all the usual excuses: I was too busy with work, I didn’t know what to say, I wasn’t ready to put myself “out there”. But if I’m honest, it wasn’t just procrastination. It was also self-doubt.

The truth is, the core of my imposter syndrome came from how I started.

I didn’t take the conventional path into writing — mostly because I didn’t even know I was going to be a writer. I hold a diploma in mechanical engineering (because I excelled in math and science) and later earned an advanced diploma in fashion marketing and management (because I thought I might become a fashion buyer).

It was during a public relations module in that course where I rediscovered my love for writing. My lecturer must have seen something in my work because, after some discussion, she recommended me for a publishing internship to channel this passion.

That's how I ended up interning at Harper's Bazaar. I then went on to intern at ELLE magazine. After the internships ended, there wasn’t a writer job in sight, so I tried my hand at TV wardrobe styling for a year — I was feeling adventurous and figured I had nothing to lose.

I only found my footing when an editor at STYLE: magazine — the same editor I'd worked with during my Harper's Bazaar internship — offered me a contract writer role. I’ll always be grateful for the way she saw something in me before I could see it in myself. From there, I never looked back.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t “belong”.

All of the writers around me had degrees in English Literature, journalism, or mass communications. I had to prove myself in other ways: I learned everything I could about the skin anatomy (when I was a beauty writer), chased more sources for my articles, cast more models, and bought stacks of international magazines to study how others wrote.

On top of that, I enrolled in a part-time degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Mass Communications — the only programme that fit into my work schedule. It meant working by day, studying in the evenings, and often going back to work at night. I was desperate to fit the persona of a “real” magazine writer, even if it meant running myself into the ground.

My imposter syndrome wasn’t just a whisper; it felt real.

Until one day, some 12 years later, a former editor said to me: “You are a talented writer, Simone.” She has no idea how much those words meant to me. For the first time, I let myself believe it: I didn’t have to fit the conventional mould to be a writer.

Owning my dream

Believing I was a writer was one thing. But facing myself — and asking what kind of writer I wanted to be — was much harder. It’s always easier to throw yourself into someone else’s deadlines, someone else’s brand, someone else’s story. Defining your own is terrifying. It took two big pushes for me to finally stop avoiding the question.

First, I was made redundant — given a year’s notice, which was generous, but it got me thinking about what comes next. Around the same time, I stumbled across Simon Squibb on Instagram, asking random people on the street about their dreams. Simple question, really, but it made me stop and think.

What is my dream?

I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer, but what kind of writer?

Years of reading picture books to my son had given me a growing frustration with how uneven they were. Some were really good. Some felt flat and lifeless, while others seemed propped up by an influencer’s name rather than the story itself. It frustrated me because our kids deserve so much better. And then it hit me: I could write these books. Stories that children could actually relate to (farts and butts included) while still teaching them a thing or two.

And romance novels — because I’ve got some rather excellent ideas brewing (if I do say so myself). I have a knack for daydreaming about steamy romance scenes, and I’ve been jotting down these moments in short bursts, collecting them with the hope of weaving them into full stories.

They are two different genres, but both felt right to me. I am a mother and I am a woman too. And suddenly, I needed more than a LinkedIn profile. I needed a proper home base — a place to gather all the parts of me: the woman, the mother, the writer, the editor, the aspiring author — different roles, woven from the same thread.

Building my writing ecosystem

SimoneWu.com shall serve as my central hub — where my professional content work meets my creative ambitions. From here, WuShimin.studio and Mongsy.xyz will grow into their own dedicated spaces.

Think of it as a little writing ecosystem: SimoneWu.com is the hub, while Wu Shimin is where readers can dive into playful, imaginative children’s stories, and Mongsy is where they’ll find romance that’s bold and unapologetic.

It’s ambitious, but I’m excited to finally tell my own story properly.

Better late than never

So, here we are. SimoneWu.com is finally live. You’ll watch these spaces grow, see books take shape, and witness what happens when someone finally stops making excuses and starts building.

If you’re a potential client looking for content strategy or editorial expertise, you’ll find my professional work showcased here. If you’re interested in following along with my author journey, there’s plenty of that, too.

The stories — both professional and personal — are just beginning. And honestly? I wish I’d started years ago, but I’m rather glad I’m starting now.

Ready to follow along with what comes next? Subscribe below, find me on social media, or connect with me on LinkedIn. The adventure finally begins.