At what point do you (personally) consider yourself a writer?

Scribly · Nov 13, 2009

It's a weird question, because I've known people at both extremes: those who are very sure of their self image as a writer despite never having been published (and in some cases never even having sent work out for consideration), and those who are very capable wordsmiths but who struggle to define themselves as legitimate writers because they have not been put in print by the conventional channels.

Where do you fall?

veinglory · Nov 13, 2009

I fall in the area that focusses more on acheivements than semantics

. I am happy for people call themselves, or not call themselves, whatever pleases them without thinking it relates to inner confidence or image or whatever....

scarletpeaches · Nov 13, 2009

I'm a writer because I write. I won't be an author until I'm published.

Libbie · Nov 13, 2009

I started calling myself a writer when I was writing every day, and making a serious effort every day to do better than I'd done the day before. I was no more of a writer when I got my first short story published. I still worked with the same drive and consistency.

ladyinpink · Nov 13, 2009

I think if you write, you are a write - though not necessarily a good one. I also believe that publication is not direct indication of one's ability to write. I've pondered this before though - because sometimes I wish to say "I am an aspiring writer" but to me that is someone who plans to write, but hasn't yet. I guess there are "writers" and "published authors"

webster says a writer is one who writes. (i think thats overly vague though)

I generally refer to published writers as authors though. Maybe thats just me. If someone said "did you read xyz" I'm tend to ask "Who is the author?" not "who is the writer" (though another person might say something else entirely - such as "who wrote it" or "who's it by?")

I'm interested to see what others think

Fredster · Nov 13, 2009

If there ever came a day where I made my living writing, maybe then, but probably not.

OpheliaRevived · Nov 13, 2009

I second Ms. Peaches.

Sophia · Nov 13, 2009

I fall at the extreme where I wouldn't call myself a writer unless I had at least one book available to buy and was making a living by it. It feels the same as saying, "I'm a plumber" - I can call myself it once it's a job and something I can define myself by, rather than it having the same impact on the world as a hobby. This is completely just my personal attitude, to myself; as veinglory said, I'm happy for people to call themselves whatever they want, and for whatever reason.

The Lonely One · Nov 13, 2009

I call myself a writer. I've made money from my writing, currently I do not. But even before I had a job doing it I still considered myself a writer. When I turned that switch in my head: "This is what I'm going to do, no matter what else I'm doing"--I earned the right to call myself that, and no one can take that away from me or you.

Scribly · Nov 13, 2009

That's an interesting one to me, Fredster. I actually do write for a living, although it's in the corporate world, but I still don't consider myself a "writer". On my personal time, I have been working on novels for 10 years, I have an Agent from a great agency, but until I get that call that they want to put me in print, I just can't bring myself to say the word "writer". For me it just sounds hollow unless I can point to a spine on a shelf. But let me say that's my perspective for me, and in no way judges how others interpret themselves.

The Grump · Nov 13, 2009

Hey, if you write regularly, you are a writer. You don't have to be published. It's the discipline of the thing.

Fredster · Nov 13, 2009

Scribly, I think my reasoning mostly comes from me generally being an ass.

(too many people claim to be (a) actors, (b) writers, (c) artists when they're really not)

((maybe I've set my own bar too high here, which is probably why I'll never think of myself as a writer even if I do get a whole book published

))

ChaosTitan · Nov 13, 2009

I've been a writer for more than half my life. But I've only just started calling myself an author now that I'm published.

Scribly · Nov 13, 2009

Hold on there, Fredster - using the logic you just espoused, you actually can't just go around calling yourself an ass.

(But for what it's worth, I hear what you're saying about those who hang the shingle out front but have nothing out back.)

Fredster · Nov 13, 2009

Scribly said:
Hold on there, Fredster - using the logic you just espoused, you actually can't just go around calling yourself an ass.

Believe me, I have more supporting evidence for this claim.

lucidzfl · Nov 13, 2009

i still don't consider myself a writer.

Scribly · Nov 13, 2009

Fair enough: I doff my cap in the presence of an expert in his field.

maestrowork · Nov 13, 2009

I started to call myself a writer when I seriously considered making this a profession. I wasn't getting paid back then, but it was a serious pursuit, not just a "hobby" to me anymore. I ended up getting paid a few months later for my first essay.

I'm a writer because I write. I'm also a writer because I get paid for my writing.

CaroGirl · Nov 13, 2009

I write for a living (pay cheque and everything) so I definitely consider myself a writer. I won't, however, consider myself an author until I get published. And maybe not even then.

Lady Ice · Nov 13, 2009

An aspiring writer...however I think you have the right to think of yourself as a writer when you have the qualities that make good writers; observation;empathy;imagination...You could publish a load of crap and get some money from it- does that make you a 'writer' in anything other than literal terms?

Sevvy · Nov 13, 2009

When I decided that writing wasn't going to be just a hobby or something I did for fun, I choose to be a writer instead of someone who writes. I do think there is a difference. I've known people who aren't writers who have been published.

I will say though that it does help the self-esteem and certainty in choosing this path to have some kind of validation. For me it was getting accepted into an MFA program, for others it is publication. A good start to becoming a writer is calling yourself one, I think.

RG570 · Nov 13, 2009

I'm never sure of myself, but I did start considering myself a writer after I passed the million words of crap kind of thing.

Parametric · Nov 13, 2009

I write every day, I finish what I start, I revise my first drafts, and I'm seriously seeking publication. So I think of myself as a writer.

Jamesaritchie · Nov 13, 2009

I'm in the accomplishment. or at least extreme dedication, camp. For me, it's more about what everyone else thinks than what I do. I regularly repair my car engine, but if someone asks what I do I'm not going to say I'm a mechanic. I also make frequent repairs around the house, but I'll never respond to "What do you do?" by saying, "I'm a carpenter."

In the end, I'm not at all sure we get to make this decision. We can call outselves apples, but others will just think we're fruity.

I suspect that no matter what we call ourselves, the world at large knows the difference.

Then again, I have no problem with others calling themselves writers, as long as they actually write. Talking about writing isn't writing, planning to write isn't writing, and writing twelve minutes each time there's a full moon isn't writing.

veinglory · Nov 13, 2009

Lady Ice said:
You could publish a load of crap and get some money from it- does that make you a 'writer' in anything other than literal terms?

I'm a very literal person.

I also think that if consumers are buying the crap in huge numbers, perhaps I should rethink my definition of crap.

At what point do you (personally) consider yourself a writer?

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