Who Is A Writer

Who Is A Writer

Here I sit, crumbled as I type from my car’s driver’s seat while I scarf a wi-fi signal from a public library on a Sunday. And, I write. Does that make me a writer, or a contortionist, or both, or neither? It makes me someone who wanted to write about writing, with a nod to Charles Booth for the inspiration. The man writes mysteries, wins awards, and I’ll assume, sells books. We met to talk about tiny houses (MyTinyExperiment.com), but I wished we had more time to talk about writing. He’s a writer. I am, too, by my definition.

As I say on my oh-too-infrequently updated Amazon Author page, “I fell into writing by trying to lose weight.” Read it for details. I do Not have an MFA, or certificates, or a diploma. My second book, Twelve Months at Barclay Lake, did receive an ‘Author’s Choice’ award, or something like that, but it was internal to my printer/publisher. I suspect it was a marketing gimmick. The next book in that three-book series almost received that award, but they didn’t like the way I used commas. Despite external validation (there’s got to be shorter words for that, but I don’t want to change my ergonomics to find them), I have about three million words in various publications. I may not have the literary credentials, but I do have the productivity.

(Random thought: If a writer is someone who writes, is a carpenter someone who carpents? English. Oy.)

I make a distinction between writer and author. Every author is a writer, but authors are writers who have published something, anything. Some use stricter criteria, either as credentialed, or engaged by a publishing firm. There must be other criteria. Whatever.

When I teach classes or do talks about writing and self-publishing, I use the simple defintion. If you are writing something, anything, you are a writer. Whether you’re good is up to you and your readers. And if the readers don’t agree, you might just have to find the right readers, or they fnd you.

‘Writer’ as a label is a handy thing. Look at my bio.
Project Manager, Consultant, Writer, Speaker, Teacher, Photographer, Engineer, Entrepreneur, etc.
All of those labels have expectations. Some are more stringent than others. Some are conversation stoppers. Writer is handy. I joke that it is easy to be accepted by most as a writer if I show up sober, act polite, wake up at a normal time, and wear clean clothes. Thank Hemingway and Thompson for letting people expect drunk, gruff, lazy, and scruffy. The bar for being a writer is set to low that it is easy to step past. 

For most of those other titles, there are higher expectations. Being unsuccessful at the non-artistic ones is another conversation starter, or perceived prompt for unsolicited advice. Few expect anything from artists.

The distinctions within writers is like the distinction within engineers. I have a Masters of Engineering in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. Eventually, i had jobs as co-lead aerodynamicist for a second generation space shuttle, and mission planner for a rocket program. Socially, I’ll describe myself as a rocket scientist, but internally, I saw myself as just another engineer in a very narrow field. My main job was in Aerodynamic Stability and Control, and very few care. At the same time, I am impressed with the rocket scientists who design rocket components like incredible pumps, engines, and nozzles. I did work for years that some people did for decades. I bow to them.

Within the writing world there are writers, journalists, editors, publicists, publishers, illustrators, agents, etc. I wonder how many think of themselves as posers. I wonder how many get the recognition and compensation that they deserve.

At some point, all of them knew nothing. We all had to learn the alphabet then build from there. Everything after that is a matter of degrees, and not the kind on a diploma.

For me, if you are writing, you are a writer. Designing a writing studio is not writing. Taking yet another class is not writing. Talking about it is not writing. Writing is writing. Rearranging the alphabet into words and sentences and paragraphs, and maybe even chapters and books is writing. If you are doing that, you are writing – in my opinion. If you are saying things about my grammar and punctuation, you are not a writer; but, if you write that down, you are a writer.

Note: From my perspective, being a writer means you write. You can write poorly or well without changing that distinction, for me. Ideally, every writer is better as they write more, so any seeming failing is simply a step in becoming a better writer. No degree required.

Of course, my writing would benefit from an editor or classes in grammar. (Thanks, Grammarly. Readers of my more recent works may want to thank Grammarly, too. Still haven’t figured out how to properly use commas.) A dedicated writing space and practice can be valuable. Take classes. Talk to writers/editors/publishers/et al. But don’t let them tell you are not a writer unless you aren’t writing. Write. For me, that’s all there is to it. And if you’re a carpenter, – well, I have no idea what it would mean to carpent. I suspect writing is easier.

Now, I will bring this to a close because typing with my laptop propped against the steering wheel is a silly idea. It’s a beautiful day. I’m in a tourist town. I guess I should act like it. Hmm. There’s probably a story in there. Maybe I should write that down.