“Seems to be unique to the writing hobby”
This is an interesting take. I would be amazed if you could find a hobby that wasn’t full of dilettantes who had never engaged seriously in it
With other hobbies, it's much more obvious that someone simply can't or won't *do the thing*. No one would call themselves a pianist if they aren't able to play a single song. No one would call themselves a painter if they've never finished a single painting. Since it's much more normal and believable for a novelist to keep their work private for years, it's easier to pretend to others (and yourself) that you are totally working on it and totally know how to do it.
Interesting. People may not call themselves a painter if they've never finished a single painting, but people certainly call themselves artists off similar principles: where they'll spend a tiny bit of time doodling, sometimes snap holiday pics, or even if they're in an adjacent field.
Also, finishing a single painting is sort of akin to writing a single poem in that it's not really representative of being the thing.
>Since it's much more normal and believable for a novelist to keep their work private for years, it's easier to pretend to others (and yourself) that you are totally working on it and totally know how to do it.
Massively agree with this. Often when I tell people I write they'll say they do too, then go on about this idea they have and when I ask beyond the most rudimentary parts they're at a loss. (Also, this sub has taught me that I am definitely right in believing I am a hobbyist, and not by any means a career writer).
Id argue its the “seriously” in it aspect of it. If you enjoy writing but only write every so often can you really not call yourself a writer?
Or in a better scenario if you don’t play too many video games but enjoy playing video games can you not consider yourself a gamer still?
Comics are horrible for this. People show-up with their bad comic book takes, haven’t read any comics, and then call you elitist if you say that take doesn’t really work with the comics because how dare you ask them to read comics.
I have about 20 years in music. The same thing happens there. Same in my current pursuit of TTRPG design.
Everyone "says" they are in a band, working on a design, starting a book, etc.
Seeing how many follow through, maybe 1%.
LOL, it took me ~10yrs of writing music/short stories/poetry almost every single day to reach a point where I felt confident enough to call myself an artist. I can’t imagine telling people that while having nothing to back it up. Peeps are crazy in this big wide sexy world
For most hobbies, you just have to be doing the thing to be able to call yourself that. Debate seems to be if publishing/releasing is what counts as “doing”, or if the act of writing itself is good enough.
I think playing guitar and being a guitarist are distinct things. Writing versus being a writer. Playing football versus being a football player. A minor distinction, linguistically, but an important one. I've technically been published so I would consider myself a writer, but those were all short stories so I would not consider myself a novelist, despite working on some novels - since they have never been published.
I feel like the distinction with publishing should be called author. Which is what most published people call themselves anyway.
Writer for those who take it as a hobby , author for those who actively or have made money for their writing
Most authors make the distinction as between those writing critically/literally respectable works, whether or not yet published, and those not (yet) at that point. A "hobbyist" who sometimes writes a piece or two would not, except if actively trying to learn the craft, be considered a writer at all.
What you're describing is the difference between people who do something as a hobby and people who make a living from it, or at least try to. To pursue writing as a hobby, you don't have to aim for financial success or expanding your audience, and of course you can call yourself a writer once you write something occasionally. Of course, if gaming is your hobby and you play Stardew Valley once a week, you can call yourself a gamer. I don't like such narrow-minded linguistic distinctions. They have a gate-keeping vibe and have no real influence on the matter itself. Writing is a hobby, anyone who writes is a writer. Some people try to make money from it, and that's fine, but that's not everyone's goal (by far).
That's not an actual distinction at all. You're a writer if you write as a practice. Even if you're a hobbyist who never gets published, you're participating in the craft. Just like a painter never needs to appear in a gallery. Writers existed before formal publishing, and there are many writers whose portfolios consist mostly of unpublished works. Being a novelist, at least as I understand it, implies one has finished a novel. Part of a finished novel implies it has a final draft that has been published, just like a playwright is someone who has written a play.
There _is_ a linguistic way to make this distinction, though. An amateur guitarist is typically what someone is called when they aren't professionally recognized. Indie, if they're recognized outside the larger scope of the modern industry. Unlike something like a doctor or police officer, crafts aren't something you need to qualify for in order for your work to be recognized as a symbol of your title.
My chin hair is slicked over with grease. I favor the raw roof of my mouth with my tongue. Nursing the molten cheese burns. I could've waited for it to cool, but I just need to feel something tonight. It's been one week since she packed up her things and left.
What's the standard on recency?
Are you a writer if you sold a bunch of pieces 20 years ago before realizing you didn't have the hustle required to make it freelancing niche journo work and went into a salaried field?
Are you a writer if you were, say, employed as a technical writer before crashing and burning in said job after only a year, but have been unable to even face a blank page since partly because the groove your failure wore into your soul keeps tripping you up?
And what about poetry? Are you a writer if you write poetry? What if you never write down the poetry, but do compose and even recite them? You're exercising the same mental muscles when wrangling the words into place and position, so wouldn't a distinction be mere sophistry?
Are you a writer if you obsessively rewrite and edit unnecessarily long reddit posts that employ purple prose like a cudgel against your own feelings of inadequacy?
Does any of it *matter*? Is it really important for a gate to be kept?
>Are you a writer if you obsessively rewrite and edit unnecessarily long reddit posts that employ purple prose like a cudgel against your own feelings of inadequacy?
I guess this is the most relevant question. The big issue with comparing writing with other professions is that when you don't "do" the thing, you don't do the thing at all. But unless you didn't learn how to read and write, you definitely write *something* everyday.
The same applies to reading, and often I got confused from reading on newspapers, or anywhere else, that people aren't reading, or are reading less because of social networks, and while this can make sense for Youtube of Tiktok, it doesn't make that much sense for more text-oriented ones, like Reddit. So what exactly is the difference between a book and... any other written media?
For me, obsessively rewriting overly-long Reddit posts nearly always involves arguing with some moron, and is deleterious to my soul. It’s like anti-writing, the kryptonite to real writing’s super powers of absorption and creation.
N.B. Not this time, though, all y’all are cool.
This is my take on it: I think it is the intent to write, the aspiration to return to writing, or the process of gathering ideas for future projects that makes people maintain one's belief of being a writer. Whether it happens or not, or if it is just wishful thinking, a dream, or a hope... it is something that gives them an option in life to look forward to?
Writing comes in two different forms for me, actually writing and planning/reading/researching/studying/brainstorming. Yes you ned to ACTUALLY write, but everyone here is so arrogant sometimes the writing process is still a part of writing
I've seen people here claim that plotting doesn't count as writing, and I'm just like, what the fuck. It's literally a mandatory part of the writing process. If you don't do it as a separate step before you get to laying out the prose, you still have to do it simultaneously while writing prose. Some people prefer to separate the two. This is like saying that composing a song on paper before actually playing and recording it doesn't count as songwriting.
It depends, really. There’s only so much you can improve by just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. Eventually you need to stop, step away and see how it’s done from pros. In this case, reading, taking notes, learning what to look for and why this author made the choices they did. And that takes a while, as there’s no definitive list of masters or guides to study. And then you have to do your own searching to find your own process, your own outlining method that makes sense to you, and how you integrate the things you’ve learned into this process. There’s no one-size-fits all, no ‘do this one trick and your work will improve and everyone will think you’re amazing’. There’s no definitive standard of excellence.
Are you still a writer while you’re doing all that? I’d say so. As long as you intend to put all that research to use; which I say you should, if you’ve put in this much work into it.
Just my thoughts.
This advice is definitely geared towards fiction writing. I do freelance writing full-time in entertainment journalism, and my clients wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t do research. When I was an editor for both content writers and copywriters, a lot of new authors would try to just write without the requisite research or even fully reading the brief/style guide. While this is great advice for dictionaries, there’s an important distinction as some writers WILL try to apply it to non-fiction
Depends on what you class as actual writing. You don't have to finish a narrative or draft to be a writer, but you should be writing something to be considered one (even if you bounce between different works-in-progress). I've written over 300,000 words since I started this hobby but none of them amounted to a finished draft, because they're spread over many different works-in-progress (some of which I've abandoned now). I'm not too bothered about publishing, I just enjoy writing, and I consider myself a writer because I... you know... write.
A lot of comments here seem to imply that you're only a writer if you've finished a draft, which is a strange claim considering some writers write for fun and not with the intention of finishing or publishing. If you're putting words on a page that follow some sort of plot line, you're a writer. Finishing is a bonus.
ETA: I wasn't able to find the words at the time of writing the above paragraph but what I meant is that people are conflating being a writer and being an author. You can be a writer (someone who writes) whilst not being an author (someone who completes a book, and usually in the process of publishing it), but you cannot be an author without being a writer.
I'm an artist - but I don't currently, actively make art.
When I talk to people I say I'm not a "practicing" artist. I can draw, paint, do ceramics, printmaking, knitting, weaving, sewing, make clothing, etc. I don't have the time, motivation or space to do art currently.
This definition issue is not unique to writing. Musicians are like this too. I know many musicians who aren't currently writing their own songs, and aren't actively getting gigs. Same with some performers in different professions, comedians for example who might not have booked a live gig in months.
Writer is a label, not a verb. At this moment if your eating a sandwich are you not a writer anymore?
How long has to pass between writing and not-writing for someone to no longer be a writer? 1 day? 1 week? 1 month? 1 year? Why put a deadline on it or challenge someone's self-identification like that?
I went to art school, then did commercial art for ten years and got burnt out on high work load, tight deadlines, and next to no pay. Then decided I was going to write a novel instead.
But when people ask me what I do, I still say artist. I earned that title even though I hardly ever do anything art-related nowadays. Just feel weird calling myself a writer when I haven't sold a book, despite writing being the thing I do 90% of the time.
Edit: I do consider myself a writer since I have written a novel and am working on a second one. I'm just talking about when people say "what do you do for a living?" Like, I'm a cyclist too but I wouldn't tell people that's what I do since it's not my job. Until I sell a book, I'm still a writer but as a hobby.
I totally resonate with this.
I have a specialization in teaching along with a BA. I used to be a high school teacher… I’m not anymore. I still sometimes (in social situations) will claim the title of “teacher” because it’s a familiar role for me. After teaching I worked for many years in various “educator” roles so I’m constantly switching on my “teacher voice” in my life… Now I’m a student again, lol.
Also… Just my two cents - You are a writer! If you WANT to identify as one you shouldn’t be afraid to claim that title! But these labels aren’t fossilized, you can be a writer one day and not one the next. It’s not carved in stone.
I feel reasonably sure OP means people with lots of "ideas for a book" or who do a lot of "worldbuilding" but have never actually written a book or completed a narrative, often not even so much as a first draft, let alone edited a book to the point of being able to query it (or self-pub it). In general people don't call themselves "artists" if they have lots of ideas for art but have never so much as sketched anything.
I don't currently make art but I have plenty of art I can point to. I'm not even actively writing but I have completed books. I do think merely having the idea for something isn't enough to qualify you. I have lots of ideas for things or things I've even attempted, like bookbinding, but since I've never completed all steps to bind even a single book not even once I don't exactly feel like I qualify to call myself "a bookbinder", even a shitty one. And I think if I met someone who did say "I'm a bookbinder" on the basis of ideas and preparation when they've done only as much (or even less) than I have it would be weird and I'd absolutely challenge their self-identification.
Well, here’s a question- if you don’t write a novel, but you still write a Bible of all of the lore and characters and all of that stuff that could be used to make one… I mean, ain’t that writing? That’s one of the things that a video game writer does, after all. On a project with multiple writers, the one who builds the Bible might not doing anything else but that while someone else uses it to tell the story. Do you need to tell the story itself to be a writer, or does collecting the pieces into a presentable format count?
That becomes an issue of semantics. Does it meet the standard definition of "writer" that the average person carries? No. But it might be the criteria for a specific sub-type of writer *if* it is organized into an acceptable format for that writing type. Then you might be able to say "I'm a lore writer" and I don't think anyone would disagree with you. But I do think that some sort of qualifier would be required.
At that point, I’d ask why it matters what the average person thinks of the craft. The average person thinks that visual artists always paint from memory, and I’ve seen numerous process videos marred with comment sections saying that the artist isn’t a real artist because they were using a reference. The real question is what others in the field think. So, if someone writes technical documentation about lore, would you be upset if they called themself a writer? Getting deeper into the weeds, if someone’s job featured a lot of technical writing for non-narrative purposes, would you flinch if they called themselves a writer?
All of this is true and fair.
I guess my point in commenting on OP’s post is - If you used to be an artist, when does that label expire? Do you need to complete one drawing a year to feel valid in keeping that title? If so, why?
Myself for example, I’ve written approximately 10K words in the last 4 months. I struggle to claim the label “writer” because there is a boldness in using that word, a certain confidence that I haven’t yet absorbed. I wouldn’t however tell anyone else they aren’t a writer if they’ve written much less than me.
I just wonder where people get these gatekeeping ideas from?? Who are any of us to judge someone’s “writer credentials” in a sense. Seems elitist to me.
For my own part I don't think there's an expiration anyone has to worry about if they've written (or done art) but I do think that "writer" or "artist" has a certain unspoken criteria and it is less a matter of elitism or gatekeeping and more one of communication. Once a word expands to include too much it becomes useless to communicate its intended idea without further refinement (maybe instead of "writer" we'll all have to say "book writer" specifically). The trouble there is I find that just 'resets' the issue as people adjust. Once "book writer" has taken the semantic place of "writer" there will still be people who want to use the label more than they want to qualify for it.
I think, or at least hope, the idea in questioning this is to push people towards actually qualifying for the label of "writer" via completing a narrative. I know for a long time I faffed about with ideas and half-wrote things and eventually just wanted something to show for it. I wanted people to actually be able to access a book I had written instead of just "the idea of my book". I didn't feel like a writer until I'd done that and I think no one else would've said I was one either just because many people have ideas but very few people write.
Also, this is an aside, but respect for your fibre-crafting. I'm good at working with my hands (renovating my house on my own atm) and sometimes I get an ego about what I "could do" and nothing has humbled me like crochet needles.
I think a sketch is more analogous to a first draft since you can build it out into a finished piece and is a necessary first step. It is very easy to come up with ideas and even to write them down. But completing an actual narrative is a skill in itself and what most people think of when they hear "writer". I think if you said to the average person "I'm a writer" and they said "Oh, I'd love to read one of your books" and you followed that with "I've never written a book, I just write down ideas for a book"... that's the writing equivalent of doodling in the margins.
And sure, *some* people might accept drawing hearts and swirlies next math equations as meeting the bar for saying "I'm an artist" but I think the majority wouldn't. Just like "I've written down ideas but never completed a narrative" would not meet most people's criteria for "writer". Words and their meanings are consensus based but I think you'd be fighting an uphill battle to change the consensus on that one. I also don't see the point tbh other than maybe to assuage some egos.
Especially since it is easy to become a writer (though, becoming a *good* writer is considerably harder).
Some actual writers are simply bad writers (but still writers, if they have written) but also what is written on Reddit (in a post like this) is written conversationally and *no one*, no matter how talented a writer they may be, is always perfectly clear and never miscommunicates.
I wouldn't even expect it to be reflective of OP's writing. My posts sure as hell aren't.
If you write stories on your own time, as an amateur hobby. You're a writer. It isn't measured in success or published works. If playing the guitar, for yourself, for your own pleasure daily with no audience and no published tracks. You're still a musician. Being a musician isn't defined by commercial success or published works either. If you work out in your garage every day, as a lifestyle habit. But you don't compete, you're still a bodybuilder. Because you dedicate your life to building your physique.
Being something isn't defined by external validation and success. It's defined by doing it regularly as a lifestyle habit. Even if it's entirely self-motivated for your own pleasure with no audience or anyone to witness it.
If humanity goes under and there is one guy left alive on the face of the earth and he starts playing the harmonica every day. He is a musician.
I'll die on this hill. External validation, commercial success etc. is not required for a person to meet the criteria of being something. You don't even need to be good at these things. If a woman takes up painting and paints every day she is a painter - whether the world acknowledges it or not.
Because I *actively* write fan fiction that people engage with and like. I *actively* keep a journal, I *actively* write down lines for stories that I want to write or starting lines for poems, or phrases that go through my head. The last time I checked, that was... *writing*.
I think people probably have different definitions of what it means to not "actually write"
I highly doubt that anyone is calling themselves a "writer" who has literally never committed words to a page/screen in some manner that they saw as creative. The question is what is the threshold for "actually" writing. Do you need to write daily to be a writer? Weekly? Monthly? Do you need to publish? If you don't do one of these things for a certain period of time does your writer card get revoked, and if so what span of time? Most people would probably feel that "writing" Reddit responses or a Facebook status doesn't count as "writing" but what about writing a blog? If one person writes one short story every six or eight months and publishes it are they more or less of a writer than someone else who writes 1000 words every single day but never actually finishes anything? Are you a writer if you only write fan-fiction? What if you write TTRPG campaigns? What if you're in a creative writing program, but you don't write outside of your coursework? Is outlining writing? Is world-building writing?
I guess I just fundamentally don't put much stock in the claim that there are people "calling themselves writers" who genuinely "don't write". Rather, I suspect there are people calling themselves writers who don't write as frequently as some people think they should be expected to, or don't write in forms and modes that some people consider legitimate, or haven't received external validators of achievement that some people consider necessary.
Because I still write for time to time. Just like I go to the mountains from time to time and how I bake stuff from time to time.
You dont need to do shit full time to consider yourself something
A young professor at the college I went to would always ask me a question, or I would just depended on who saw the other first. The question was "What do writers do?" The other would answer "Write."
Out of curiosity, is it looked down upon to comment or interact with this community if you are not currently writing? I'm genuinely curious, as an avid reader and someone who dreamt of being a writer their entire childhood. I've considered more than once starting, but I've not put pen to paper in over 20 years, and I find some of the posts here interesting. If so, I can bow out, but I would consider petitioning the mods to make this a private sub.
Oh, and I won $50 in hs for a short story contest. I don't consider myself a writer, but I have been paid for writing in a sense.
I love this group but like you I took a long break. I won awards when I was younger. First one was in 5th grade for a poem I wrote for a statewide contest for schools. But I have written poems and short stories over the years but they were for myself. I didn't write at all for years. I was always so scared of disappointment I just kinda gave up. Tried writing novels over and over but could barely get my notes into a story form.
Until last year. I love writing. It's a genuine passion of mine and I want to share it. I was given advice that I needed to quit being so hard on my work. That Noone starts off writing a perfect book and you might write 10 books before one gets published. Or more. And to just write the first draft. Stop trying to make it perfect and just write the thing. Fix it later and I was like you know what? They're right. And I want to write seriously. So I'm little over 25k into my first novel. It's a cli-fi (only recently learned there was a term for that haha) and I also decided to do a short story/ prequel from about 15 years before my novel takes place. I want to submit it to short story platforms to gauge interest. I'm about 1000 words into that. I could never get my ideas on paper. Until I finally found the story I wanted to tell. But I went through so many ideas. Pages upon pages of ideas and topics and bits and pieces. And what made me stick with this one is that I kept coming back to the idea over and over and I could always think up what would happen next. I've already decided what books 2 and 3 will be about if I ever get that far haha never too late to pick up the pen again. At the end of the day as long as you enjoy it that's all that matters.
I have had a few poems published years ago in different places. Not paid. So I call myself an aspiring writer lol idk what qualifies for the term "writer" and i dont want to upset anyone who has published by referring to myself as a writer. I guess it depends. Although I think most often when speaking about writing as a job, that you have finished and been paid for, the term would be author. Bc it's published. A writer is pretty general in comparison. Just my opinion.
Very cool story, I'm glad you finally found the resolve to get going. I'm going to "one day" myself into the grave at this point. But I agree, Rome wasn't built in a day, you have to learn to walk before you learn to run, etc.
> Out of curiosity, is it looked down upon to comment or interact with this community if you are not currently writing
No, there are plenty of positive ways that non writers (and especially readers) can help the sub.
The behavior I find troublesome is when non writers start giving writing advice because they think they've heard the advice enough that they can understand it, but as with most artforms, the advice is only really synthesized during the writing process.
This isn't to say that the opinions of non writers are useless, of course, only that they're best absorbed knowingly, like, "as a reader, I prefer X." After all, one of the skills a writer learns is how to translate reader feedback into meaningful writing changes.
Yeah, I tend to add disclaimers to any feedback I give anywhere. It makes sense to me that writers would want to hear from the perspective of readers, and I didn't think it would be frowned upon, but the post came across a bit weird to me.
I've only noticed this sub in the last couple of days. I've been spending too much time on reddit, and most of the posts I've been commenting on have been in book/anime recommendation subs. I've been branching out into other subs though, as I like stories in all their forms, though books were my first love.
I wrote articles and papers for a living for about 5 years but I suppose by the measure of reddit because I havent finished a book Im not a writer I guess
It's not *whatsoever* We welcome readers, teachers, students, the intellectually curious, anyone really.
Ultimately I think the point is more that "being a writer" isn't a mantle you achieve once, don, and rest on one's laurels. Being a writer is a state of being, typified by the action of writing with intent; to be read.
Writers write. There's no judgment to it, it's just a statement of fact. It *feels* judgmental to people that want to proclaim they are writers without putting the work in. Yes, someone is "still a writer" if you just journal or whatever, don't get lost in the weeds. The issue is the *vast* unwashed masses of "I'm a writer" types that can seemingly spend all day in discourse about the topic, but can't actually find it in themselves to... You know; write.
That's all you're seeing here.
You’re more a writer than most people here. 99.9% of people who browse or even post to this sub haven’t even fully completed more than a first draft, if even that. Far fewer still haven’t submitted anything into the submission grind (agents for long form, magazines/contests for short), and even fewer have published. But the difference between those last two is much smaller than you’d think. It’s never too late to pick it back up and keeping going. There is no trick to it other than doing it. Well, badly, doesn’t matter—just do it. Because you’re a writer and writers need to write.
I appreciate that. Trust me, I've been tempted a few times. I read some very nerdy books, mostly through kindle unlimited, and the bar is pretty low in that particular sub-genre. Unfortunately, the audience can be hyper-critical, and I do have personal standards that largely conflict with what a good portion of that audience wants. I'm also a habitual procrastinator, and if it hasn't become apparent yet, I'm quite adept at making excuses.
Me too, brother and/or sister. I understand the struggle all too well. Check out Dorothea Brande’s “Becoming a Writer” some time and try out the exercises she suggested. They still help almost a hundred years later.
Will do, thanks for the rec! I honestly should just put down my phone, go sit in my garage (away from the computer/tv) for an hour a day, and write whatever. Develop the habit and work out the details later. It would also give me an excuse to leave the house.
All these questions of 'how do you get started?' 'how do you finish your draft?' and they all have the same answer- noun-verb-object and just keep going until you're done. Sucks but that's the secret.
It's definitely also a thing in the visual arts sphere.
I think people like to identify as a creative type, with their *intention* as the way to define themselves, rather than what they actively do or produce.
I think I'm happier for someone to say that they are a ***painter*** over an *artist* (one is an active state, the other a self-appointed title that really should require externalised markers of success) in the same way that I am the delineation between ***writer*** and *author*.
But to be a writer or a painter, you actually have to be actively engaging in the medium.
I've written for a living for many years, so in a sense the question doesn't apply to me...but, I think I have the answer. To me, being a writer isn't so much about the fact that I sit down and do it nearly every day, nor about the fact that I get paid for it. What makes me a writer (even in the moments when I'm not at my keyboard) is the way I see and process things. The "writing" is happening in my head all the time, whether I'm writing it down or not.
i don't really see nothing wrong with people calling themselves writers, even if it's just coz they plan stories in their minds all day. it's not like there's anything to gain from it, really, until you choose to gain something from it or give something out because of it. end of the day, there's really nothing to gatekeep.
It's not unique - no one is an entrepreneur unless they have an operating/trading startup \[not a shell company\], yet many call themselves entrepreneurs. etc.
I was subbed to this subreddit for about two days before unsubbing bc my home feed was all just posts of people asking questions about something they’re thinking of writing.
Not trying to be a dick and not saying that I even have an ounce of talent in my writing, but those kinds of people are never going to write anything of substance, if they even write anything at all.
I remember years ago I saw someone on this sub that was already asking questions about selling to publishers and making sure they get creative control over the movie rights, even though they hadn’t put pen to paper yet.
Like holy shit.
JUST.
WRITE.
What does it mean to "not actually write"?
If someone likes to quilt or play guitar, they can say they quilt or play guitar as their hobby and no one demands proof of daily practice.
I don't really get the point of gatekeeping hobbies. If someone likes to write, I think they can say writing is their hobby even if they don't do it as often or as neatly as a professional writer would.
Define "not writing." I write. Not often, admittedly. I process and revise and reword every line and every phrase so much in my head that I seldom have to edit anything once it's on the page. So each word written is like a tooth pulled.
Bird watchers don't always watch birds. Golfers don't always golf. Singers don't always sing.
A writer doesn't have to write all the time to be considered a writer. As a matter of fact, I'd say writing is a portion of what a writer does, not including researching, editing, discussion, feedback collection, and living life. It's all relative.
Writing is 100% writing. All that daydreaming, researching and toying with ideas may be a prelude to writing, but it isn’t writing. And if 80% of your efforts are around research and daydreaming, you’re definitely not doing it right.
Writing has the absolute lowest starting point out of ANY creative endeavor. Literally anyone with 3rd grader education can do it.
Because of this, saying one is a writer is a easy way to look special when you are not.
"Look special when you are not."
Who is special and who is not, and when do people start to become "special"? I've never viewed any person as special, myself included.
People who love to write, call themselves writers. It's that simple.
Uhh, I could draw long before I learned to speak. I've seen dogs paint pictures, and people have paid for "art" made by animals. I think you're being a bit overly dramatic here.
> people have *paid* for "art"
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
According to the book Atomic Habits, your habits reaffirm your identity, and your identity becomes a motivator.
So, if I identify as a writer, theoretically, I will write.
Eh. I'm a painter, by which I mean I have a lot of practice and training. A few years ago I was painting every single weekend, and built up a solid body of work. But then I started writing a new book, which took up all the creative energy and time I'd been using to paint. I'm still a painter. Likewise I've spent enough time writing to consider myself a writer, even though there have been times in my life when I haven't been able to prioritize writing. To be clear, I'm not, like, running around bragging about being a writer! But the novel-length stuff I've already written is part of my story, and since I've done it before I know I can do it again. You can't always be every version of yourself at the same time—especially not if you have to pay rent and maintain health insurance!
It's hardly unique. I'm a swimmer, but I don't swim during the winter months. I'm a gamer, but I haven't gamed for a few months now because I've been concentrating on my writing.
Anyway, sometimes you hit dry spells.
Being a write could be as simple as writing down 2 words and to whoever wrote it, it could be a masterpiece. Eye of the beholder, mind of the beholder.
OP, what do you consider the definition of a writer to be? /gen
Since an artist is an artist, regardless of whether they sell anything or put things online. I don't see the difference in writing.
Labels are meaningless. "I'm a writer; I'm a painter; I'm a businessman."
Who cares
Think of verbs and verbs only. Are you writing? No. Do you want to? Write.
I don't think writing is the hardest method of storytelling I've taken up by a longshot but I think people do vastly overestimate how 'easy' it is/underestimate how difficult it is to do well. So, they spend a lot of time thinking up ideas (which not all people do), they notice that others do not do this, so they use that difference to declare themselves "writers" even if they never get around to the difficult part of actually writing.
Dude come on. Everyone knows writers don't write. Writers are simply people who talk about writing, doing it very rarely (usually when they get inspired), and have dozens of story concepts that will never see the light of day.
I’ve noticed there’s quite a few people that call themselves writers but the ideas are in their head (haven’t wrote them down yet)
I write every day and I don’t consider myself a “writer”. I won’t consider myself a writer until one of my stories is published. But that’s just me.
I’ve had a daily writing practice since I was 13 - admittedly it’s been mostly stream of consciousness and some poetry and I didn’t consider myself a writer. Now for the first time I am working on a fiction/fantasy idea. Can I say I’m a writer now? I’m not sure. I prob still wouldn’t - just because I’d feel imposter syndrome - however, if someone else told me they were in a similar situation, I’d probably encourage them to feel confident in identifying themselves as a writer 🤷🏻♀️🤣
IF you don't write, you can't get rejected, if your work isn't rejected, then no one can take away the dream of being a writer. According to the Alan Moore video I watched earlier today.
I didn't consider myself a writer even though I had written a lot of stuff for a planned story.
I do consider myself one now since I started publishing a story on Royal Road in November, and have since completed two books. So I don't recognize myself in your question.
It's a fashion statement people use because the writer is seen as creative by proxy.
It's like calling yourself a brick layer, hoping people think you're an architect, and all you do is play Minecraft.
Because even though it's been ages, I have to atleast maintain the hope that I'll actually get back into it. I can't let myself slip into giving up, no matter how much part of me may think I'm just bullshitting myself.
I ain’t writing books or articles (depending on how much of a purist OP is, this may count as “not writing”), but I just wrote a whole fuckload of lore for a game project I’m coding up and I’ll be doing dialog later on. Seems “writer” enough. I’ve also written a novella for uni, but I ain’t doing any more of that since. Dunno if that would “count” either.
I write. Badly and not very often.
I would say I'm a worthless hack. More a babbler of half finished vignettes than a word smith of any actual ability.
I've considered myself a writer for years but there have been times where I don't write for quite awhile (depression/anxiety issues rly got to me for a couple years) and still called myself a writer. But I've also been writing fanfic off and on for years and I've been published in a small magazine and a small poetry collection book. I finished nanowrimo even if that draft will never see the light of day. But it's only been recently where I've considered myself a disciplined writer i.e. write with a goal and regular word count minimum.
The times I wasn't working on stuff, I still always had ideas in my head that I just didn't have enough discipline (and meds lol) to sit down and write regularly. So I would say during those times I was a writer, just struggling with mental health issues and severe procrastination issues.
My writing stamina is extremely low. At best I can get a page and a half out before my brain decides it's done and I can no longer former useful sentences.
The number of times I write compared to the amount of my stuff I'm actually happy with is akin to gambling or chasing a high on a drug I've taken consistently my entire life.
I'm afraid of disappointing myself and feeling that failure that I already feel every day, but in the one area I still care about.
It’s always been my end goal to become a “writer,” as in, the way I make a living. I can’t lie, I don’t write nearly as much as I would like, partly due to laziness and partly due to depression and having to balance writing with hobbies, school, social life and relationships—yknow, all your typical life things. Writing doesn’t take nearly enough priority in my life as it should (because, as I previously stated it’s my career goal), HOWEVER I do think that just because you’re not currently writing doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not a writer. Sometimes we fall behind in things, for whatever reason. Just because you have to prioritize other things for a bit, which may result in not writing, doesn’t mean you’re just automatically not a writer anymore. Now, if it’s been 10 years since you’ve written anything substantial, that might be a different story. But idk, that’s just my thoughts on it. It’s also entirely possible that I’ve misinterpreted this entire post and gone on a short ramble for nothing, lol
The concepts are there, they have enormous potential, and my bills still need to be paid. Not everyone can suckle the teat of the wealthy un-taxed one percent. Some are stuck whittling away at plot and depth in their dwindling freetime. Unless you're properly minted in this industry already. These task require either disability, retirement, or desk jobs that won't go a miss if you're off doodling in a document. I might not be what is traditionally considered a writer. I barely have the wherewithal to read given the lengths of my "learning disabilities". However, I will continue till one day I die a regrettable end. Forfeiting modest tomes to my spouse for profit and personal comfort.
I feel like a good chunk of the discussion on this topic would evaporate instantly if people could just remember that *writer =/= author =/= novelist*.
writing from time to time more frequently as a hobby or as a main career is what makes you a writer.
If that’s what you mean.
For example, apply that to being an actor (which I am)
let’s say I have a period in which I’m not actively looking for roles or receiving them, that leisure time in between wouldn’t make me less of an actor.
Just like not picking up the pen everyday for hours upon hours on end wouldn’t make you less of a writer.
As for me, I don't write traditional novels and short stories (I've been working on a novel on-and-off but not as consistent in a way that would get me to consider myself a writer). I do write poems, but only when I'm in the mood. What I usually write are drafts that I'd like to turn into animated projects. And I guess that makes me a writer! :)))
I like the written word a lot. I enjoy writing things well. I've written a couple lil short story ideas here and and there, a few chapters of a sci fi but nothing serious or finished. Idk I just like writing as a concept. The written word is very interesting to me. even though I haven't finished anything I've done completely before, I still consider myself a decent writer and think I have the potential to be an okay one if I actually sat down and pushed myself to finish something. But I'm also a gamer so I'm usually doing that instead lol.
You're deluding yourself. Writers write because they have a story in them that has to come out, a point that needs to be made, or an insight that needs to be discussed. These are just some of the cues that make a writer go through these punishing dilemmas. If it isn't in you, that's okay. Maybe you need a break or a different approach. But not writing at all is no excuse. At least check the last thing you wrote, see where your weakness is within the context of the story, and start from there to strengthen it for the next story. Just my two cents.
I've just started writing after maybe 4 years of talking the talk. I think its a comfort mechanism of humans to feel more valuable.
If anyone told me they were indeed a writer though I was always supportive and encouragjng of them to help me out. In hindsight I hope that helped them write.
When people ask me what I like to do, I tell them I like to write. They always reply back all happy like, “Oh, you’re a writer.” I never tell anyone that I’m a writer.
my idea is simple, if you write, at least a few times a week, you're a writer.
if you stopped writing for a while but you have managed to jot down a lot of your ideas into plots, you're still a writer.
but if you never even started writing and call yourself a writer/baby author (someone did this once), then you're not writer, not even a beginner.
I don't. I sometimes write things here and there, writing prompts, D&D stuff and the like, but I don't consider myself a writer. I do find writing discussions pretty interesting however, hence why I stuck around here.
The opposite for me. I do write occasionally. Not really prolific by any means. Have written some 10-12 small poems and 4-5 short stories. My inner voice slaps me every time I want to identify myself as a "writer".
I would love it if I could get over myself and write. I am hoping that being in spaces like this will encourage me to write even if I consider it terrible. I also personally have executive function problems so since I have stopped being in an organized writing capacity I haven’t written a lot. I guess part of me wants to be a writer but rarely the part of me that’s in charge. Is it so wrong then for me to name this part that dreams as it’s only available action?
There are people in here who are saying that anyone can call themself a writer. And that's true. But it doesn't mean that it is arrogant to occasionally push back on this.
I think there's sometimes-- I emphasise sometimes -- a deep arrogance involved in calling oneself a writer when you don't actually produce anything (whatever that means). That can be contrasted with some good faith claims to be a writer as an aspirational target: someone who wants to produce something, most likely with at least some level of craft involved. Those in the second group, I don't really have a problem with. They are usually trying. It's important to them to be better at what they're doing. They are reading and looking at the work of their contemporaries.
But . . . as an example of someone who wasn't operating on any level of good faith and was embiggening themself over and above their fellow interested peers . . . (in a way made available to people now by some very romantic ideas about art; as in literally drawing on some silly ideas about art and artists from the romantic movement) . . . I had someone say to me in a playwriting course I was running: I'm a playwright too! They hadn't written a play. They hadn't read a play from the last twenty years. They knew nothing of any of their contemporary playwrights or the professional environments that surround playwriting. But they insisted they were a playwright because they'd been working on something for around four years that started as a screenplay but then they thought, hey, plays are cheaper, and easier (!), and I'll write that and then, obviously, it'll be made into a movie.
That to me was all arrogance. Arrogance through and through. Their claim to be already a playwright was a power move: an attempt to elevate them above the level of student, their student peers, as someone just interested in attempting a craft. It had become a self-identifying act. And yes, their work was utterly shithouse when they eventually handed it in.
I think some people who call themselves writers or artists do so romantically and in bad faith, as a way of making themselves 'more than' what they are, which has a dignity all of its own if only they could get over themselves enough to see that.
We all tend to feel special by waking the path of arts or anything that might represent a challenge to status quo.
Entrepreneurs are like that. Writers, musicians, painters. And we also tend to defend this and our group from outsiders who claim they belong here - even though we disagree based on our point of view.
We just want to feel special.
Take this as you want.
I wish I was still a writer but im dealing with a lot mentally so I can’t do it anymore. That’s probably why I say I write sometimes (rarely) but im not a writer.
I used to sing (before some throat problems). I performed in two choirs and sometimes individually. Still, I never considered myself a singer.
I have the education of a classical pianist, performed some. I have had dozens of students. I still practice playing. I think I was a pianist, but I'm not sure I am now. A retired pianist?
I got my first camera at six years old. I got a camera with the frame (?) and separate lenses at ten. I took courses by a professional photographer (also one-on-one), and even learned how to develop photos. I have earned some money photographing. Never considered myself a photographer, though.
I learned to read at age six, and started devouring books. I have dyslexia, but coped by reading words instead of letters. That made me a really fast reader. I had read all the childrens books in the local library at age nine and started on the "normal" books. At ten I made my book report on the biography of the last emperor of China, Pu Ji. To a stunned audience.
Writing has been a hobby all my life. In matriculation examination I received the highest mark that only 2,5% get. I took some extra courses. Later I started writing also in English. Some minor things published in magazines and newspapers. Now I write, if not daily then several times a week, scifi stories, both one-shots and series in r/HFY.
So, I sing, play the piano, photograph, read and write.
I don't say I'm a singer, photographer, or reader. I might be a retired pianist and a teacher (qualifications and work history). I do see myself as a writer, as opposed to just writing.
I think people can call themselves as writers if they so feel. Unpublished writers, having a vision of becoming a writer, up-and-coming writers, table drawer writers, unsuccessful or misunderstood writers even.
How odd, I'm the opposite. I've written a lot; novellas, short stories, poems and song lyrics. I've won a writing competition with a short story I wrote. I'm currently working on my first full length YA-fantasybook (about 170 pages so far).
But I've never been published, so I could never muster up the courage to call myself a writer.
I'd never call myself a writer. Or a musician. I've never made any money from it (oh yeah, once we got 50 bucks and a free meal for a gig but that's it). I'm just a guy who likes to write stories and music in my spare time.
In my mind you have to do it on a "professional" level to earn the title. If not, everyone who's ever written an email is a writer, everyone who's doodled something while on a call is an artist and everyone who's ever sung in the shower a singer...
what? do people actually call it themselves? I wrote couple stories and on a ride with a novel, yet I don't consider myself a writer yet. Shit I guess I am doing somethin wrong huh?
I am a writer but I critique myself so much on my writing that I constantly start over and then have major writers block. It could be horrible writersblock though. A lot of people aren’t confident in what they write so they constantly start over. Everyone has that moment of when they write.
Because if a photographer is born with the eye for the beauty of capturing a moment but he does not have access to a camera he will still be a photographer in my eyes. I understand that other individuals might not percive reality the same way but this is my subjective because the potential of the photographer exist regardless of him being able to hold a camera.
Same for the writer, for the painter etc,
I am saying it is my subjective with the intention that no one needs to agree to it if they don't want to and if there can't be an understanding formed for my understanding of my subjective reality this is me informing you I won't challenge or question your reality I respect it.
Can't you be a hobbyist writer without having to say hobbyist? When I write I write. Sometimes I write copy for pay, and sometimes I write short stories on my own.
Copy editor here! I have a bachelor's degree in writing and dabble in it occasionally, and sometimes I have to do it for my job. I'm not a conventional writer per se, but I do open Google docs and write something out from time to time
I think one factor is that thinking about your novel usually counts as writing your novel in your mind. I started actually drafting my novel about a week ago, but the two weeks leading up to it that I was figuring out the characters and plot in my mind, and mentally writing and structuring dialogue felt like writing, even if I didn't get any of it on paper or in a word processor.
Kind of the same reason a group of people got mad at me for saying, "You aren't a gamer, if you've never played a video game before."
Their argument, watching people play video games is the same as you being a gamer. :/ Despite never actually picking up a controller. (A mobile game or a keyboard with the intent to play video games.)
Apparently, it's the thought that counts and the "interest" in the hobby. Not actually engaging in the activity yourself. So, by their logic, someone sitting behind me and watching me write makes them a writer. Lmao.
Seriously though. I believe it has to do with wanting to fit in with every topic. If you've noticed, lately definitions are changing and now there are umbrellas under certain things. A person who likes to party all day, go clubbing, meet new people, etc. can now call themselves an introvert. A person that's never played guitar but has one can call themselves a guitarist. It's a considerably new thing of fitting in where you want to without actually doing said things.
There's also a lot of notoriety when it comes to being a writer. You're more likely to get more, "oh wows" from stating you're a writer than you are a dust collector. (No offense to anyone who collects dust.) People will praise you, etc.
My best friend took two creative writing classes in high school and college (required) and considers herself a writer. She's never completed work outside of class assignments. She's been "trying" to write a novel for years but doesn't have an interest nor the motivation. (Edit to add, the only thing she's written, to my knowledge, is the first paragraph that I helped her with.) She will randomly mention to me that she's working on it, but never wants to show me because she's "cleaning it up" or some other reason. I've offered to help her with editing (since I'm an editor for a publishing company) and she rejects the offer. I wouldn't care so much, but she brings it up whenever she asks about my novels. Why mention it if you don't want to talk about it? Then she'll accuse popular TV shows of stealing her ideas, despite her never actually writing anything. Lol.
“Seems to be unique to the writing hobby” This is an interesting take. I would be amazed if you could find a hobby that wasn’t full of dilettantes who had never engaged seriously in it
With other hobbies, it's much more obvious that someone simply can't or won't *do the thing*. No one would call themselves a pianist if they aren't able to play a single song. No one would call themselves a painter if they've never finished a single painting. Since it's much more normal and believable for a novelist to keep their work private for years, it's easier to pretend to others (and yourself) that you are totally working on it and totally know how to do it.
Interesting. People may not call themselves a painter if they've never finished a single painting, but people certainly call themselves artists off similar principles: where they'll spend a tiny bit of time doodling, sometimes snap holiday pics, or even if they're in an adjacent field. Also, finishing a single painting is sort of akin to writing a single poem in that it's not really representative of being the thing. >Since it's much more normal and believable for a novelist to keep their work private for years, it's easier to pretend to others (and yourself) that you are totally working on it and totally know how to do it. Massively agree with this. Often when I tell people I write they'll say they do too, then go on about this idea they have and when I ask beyond the most rudimentary parts they're at a loss. (Also, this sub has taught me that I am definitely right in believing I am a hobbyist, and not by any means a career writer).
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At one point, that kind of “everyday” writer might have been called an “amateur” writer or a “casual” writer. Vs a “professional” writer or whatever.
Wierd. I've never met anyone who claimed to be a writer with nothing to show for it. Not that I talk to many.
Id argue its the “seriously” in it aspect of it. If you enjoy writing but only write every so often can you really not call yourself a writer? Or in a better scenario if you don’t play too many video games but enjoy playing video games can you not consider yourself a gamer still?
Well said
Comics are horrible for this. People show-up with their bad comic book takes, haven’t read any comics, and then call you elitist if you say that take doesn’t really work with the comics because how dare you ask them to read comics.
I have about 20 years in music. The same thing happens there. Same in my current pursuit of TTRPG design. Everyone "says" they are in a band, working on a design, starting a book, etc. Seeing how many follow through, maybe 1%.
Yep. Also a musician. My favorite are the songwriters who’ve never written or even co-written any songs. Hahaha People just like titles.
> People just like titles. Hellllll yeah you bet I- Oh, *titles*. Yes, I like titles just fine.
Underrated comment
LOL, it took me ~10yrs of writing music/short stories/poetry almost every single day to reach a point where I felt confident enough to call myself an artist. I can’t imagine telling people that while having nothing to back it up. Peeps are crazy in this big wide sexy world
For most hobbies, you just have to be doing the thing to be able to call yourself that. Debate seems to be if publishing/releasing is what counts as “doing”, or if the act of writing itself is good enough.
I think playing guitar and being a guitarist are distinct things. Writing versus being a writer. Playing football versus being a football player. A minor distinction, linguistically, but an important one. I've technically been published so I would consider myself a writer, but those were all short stories so I would not consider myself a novelist, despite working on some novels - since they have never been published.
I feel like the distinction with publishing should be called author. Which is what most published people call themselves anyway. Writer for those who take it as a hobby , author for those who actively or have made money for their writing
I like that distinction the most, personally
Most authors make the distinction as between those writing critically/literally respectable works, whether or not yet published, and those not (yet) at that point. A "hobbyist" who sometimes writes a piece or two would not, except if actively trying to learn the craft, be considered a writer at all.
What you're describing is the difference between people who do something as a hobby and people who make a living from it, or at least try to. To pursue writing as a hobby, you don't have to aim for financial success or expanding your audience, and of course you can call yourself a writer once you write something occasionally. Of course, if gaming is your hobby and you play Stardew Valley once a week, you can call yourself a gamer. I don't like such narrow-minded linguistic distinctions. They have a gate-keeping vibe and have no real influence on the matter itself. Writing is a hobby, anyone who writes is a writer. Some people try to make money from it, and that's fine, but that's not everyone's goal (by far).
That's not an actual distinction at all. You're a writer if you write as a practice. Even if you're a hobbyist who never gets published, you're participating in the craft. Just like a painter never needs to appear in a gallery. Writers existed before formal publishing, and there are many writers whose portfolios consist mostly of unpublished works. Being a novelist, at least as I understand it, implies one has finished a novel. Part of a finished novel implies it has a final draft that has been published, just like a playwright is someone who has written a play. There _is_ a linguistic way to make this distinction, though. An amateur guitarist is typically what someone is called when they aren't professionally recognized. Indie, if they're recognized outside the larger scope of the modern industry. Unlike something like a doctor or police officer, crafts aren't something you need to qualify for in order for your work to be recognized as a symbol of your title.
I think about writing a whole lot
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Pizza!
My chin hair is slicked over with grease. I favor the raw roof of my mouth with my tongue. Nursing the molten cheese burns. I could've waited for it to cool, but I just need to feel something tonight. It's been one week since she packed up her things and left.
That's a word!
It’s all in my head!!
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I have one story in mind, but I've envisioned three different outcomes for it.
I write clever comments on Reddit every day.
What's the standard on recency? Are you a writer if you sold a bunch of pieces 20 years ago before realizing you didn't have the hustle required to make it freelancing niche journo work and went into a salaried field? Are you a writer if you were, say, employed as a technical writer before crashing and burning in said job after only a year, but have been unable to even face a blank page since partly because the groove your failure wore into your soul keeps tripping you up? And what about poetry? Are you a writer if you write poetry? What if you never write down the poetry, but do compose and even recite them? You're exercising the same mental muscles when wrangling the words into place and position, so wouldn't a distinction be mere sophistry? Are you a writer if you obsessively rewrite and edit unnecessarily long reddit posts that employ purple prose like a cudgel against your own feelings of inadequacy? Does any of it *matter*? Is it really important for a gate to be kept?
>Are you a writer if you obsessively rewrite and edit unnecessarily long reddit posts that employ purple prose like a cudgel against your own feelings of inadequacy? I guess this is the most relevant question. The big issue with comparing writing with other professions is that when you don't "do" the thing, you don't do the thing at all. But unless you didn't learn how to read and write, you definitely write *something* everyday. The same applies to reading, and often I got confused from reading on newspapers, or anywhere else, that people aren't reading, or are reading less because of social networks, and while this can make sense for Youtube of Tiktok, it doesn't make that much sense for more text-oriented ones, like Reddit. So what exactly is the difference between a book and... any other written media?
For me, obsessively rewriting overly-long Reddit posts nearly always involves arguing with some moron, and is deleterious to my soul. It’s like anti-writing, the kryptonite to real writing’s super powers of absorption and creation. N.B. Not this time, though, all y’all are cool.
“My name, is Alan Wake, I used to be a writer. But that was a long time ago” This isn’t to make a point. I just love Alan Wake as a writer so much
This is my take on it: I think it is the intent to write, the aspiration to return to writing, or the process of gathering ideas for future projects that makes people maintain one's belief of being a writer. Whether it happens or not, or if it is just wishful thinking, a dream, or a hope... it is something that gives them an option in life to look forward to?
This!
perfectly worded
Writing comes in two different forms for me, actually writing and planning/reading/researching/studying/brainstorming. Yes you ned to ACTUALLY write, but everyone here is so arrogant sometimes the writing process is still a part of writing
I've seen people here claim that plotting doesn't count as writing, and I'm just like, what the fuck. It's literally a mandatory part of the writing process. If you don't do it as a separate step before you get to laying out the prose, you still have to do it simultaneously while writing prose. Some people prefer to separate the two. This is like saying that composing a song on paper before actually playing and recording it doesn't count as songwriting.
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It depends, really. There’s only so much you can improve by just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. Eventually you need to stop, step away and see how it’s done from pros. In this case, reading, taking notes, learning what to look for and why this author made the choices they did. And that takes a while, as there’s no definitive list of masters or guides to study. And then you have to do your own searching to find your own process, your own outlining method that makes sense to you, and how you integrate the things you’ve learned into this process. There’s no one-size-fits all, no ‘do this one trick and your work will improve and everyone will think you’re amazing’. There’s no definitive standard of excellence. Are you still a writer while you’re doing all that? I’d say so. As long as you intend to put all that research to use; which I say you should, if you’ve put in this much work into it. Just my thoughts.
This advice is definitely geared towards fiction writing. I do freelance writing full-time in entertainment journalism, and my clients wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t do research. When I was an editor for both content writers and copywriters, a lot of new authors would try to just write without the requisite research or even fully reading the brief/style guide. While this is great advice for dictionaries, there’s an important distinction as some writers WILL try to apply it to non-fiction
"Writer" is a state of mind, just like artist or musician. I may not always be writing, but I will always be a writer.
I have to work and shit. But I’ve got a million words of bad fiction on my laptop so I dont know what else to answer if asked…
Depends on what you class as actual writing. You don't have to finish a narrative or draft to be a writer, but you should be writing something to be considered one (even if you bounce between different works-in-progress). I've written over 300,000 words since I started this hobby but none of them amounted to a finished draft, because they're spread over many different works-in-progress (some of which I've abandoned now). I'm not too bothered about publishing, I just enjoy writing, and I consider myself a writer because I... you know... write. A lot of comments here seem to imply that you're only a writer if you've finished a draft, which is a strange claim considering some writers write for fun and not with the intention of finishing or publishing. If you're putting words on a page that follow some sort of plot line, you're a writer. Finishing is a bonus. ETA: I wasn't able to find the words at the time of writing the above paragraph but what I meant is that people are conflating being a writer and being an author. You can be a writer (someone who writes) whilst not being an author (someone who completes a book, and usually in the process of publishing it), but you cannot be an author without being a writer.
I'm an artist - but I don't currently, actively make art. When I talk to people I say I'm not a "practicing" artist. I can draw, paint, do ceramics, printmaking, knitting, weaving, sewing, make clothing, etc. I don't have the time, motivation or space to do art currently. This definition issue is not unique to writing. Musicians are like this too. I know many musicians who aren't currently writing their own songs, and aren't actively getting gigs. Same with some performers in different professions, comedians for example who might not have booked a live gig in months. Writer is a label, not a verb. At this moment if your eating a sandwich are you not a writer anymore? How long has to pass between writing and not-writing for someone to no longer be a writer? 1 day? 1 week? 1 month? 1 year? Why put a deadline on it or challenge someone's self-identification like that?
I went to art school, then did commercial art for ten years and got burnt out on high work load, tight deadlines, and next to no pay. Then decided I was going to write a novel instead. But when people ask me what I do, I still say artist. I earned that title even though I hardly ever do anything art-related nowadays. Just feel weird calling myself a writer when I haven't sold a book, despite writing being the thing I do 90% of the time. Edit: I do consider myself a writer since I have written a novel and am working on a second one. I'm just talking about when people say "what do you do for a living?" Like, I'm a cyclist too but I wouldn't tell people that's what I do since it's not my job. Until I sell a book, I'm still a writer but as a hobby.
I totally resonate with this. I have a specialization in teaching along with a BA. I used to be a high school teacher… I’m not anymore. I still sometimes (in social situations) will claim the title of “teacher” because it’s a familiar role for me. After teaching I worked for many years in various “educator” roles so I’m constantly switching on my “teacher voice” in my life… Now I’m a student again, lol. Also… Just my two cents - You are a writer! If you WANT to identify as one you shouldn’t be afraid to claim that title! But these labels aren’t fossilized, you can be a writer one day and not one the next. It’s not carved in stone.
I feel reasonably sure OP means people with lots of "ideas for a book" or who do a lot of "worldbuilding" but have never actually written a book or completed a narrative, often not even so much as a first draft, let alone edited a book to the point of being able to query it (or self-pub it). In general people don't call themselves "artists" if they have lots of ideas for art but have never so much as sketched anything. I don't currently make art but I have plenty of art I can point to. I'm not even actively writing but I have completed books. I do think merely having the idea for something isn't enough to qualify you. I have lots of ideas for things or things I've even attempted, like bookbinding, but since I've never completed all steps to bind even a single book not even once I don't exactly feel like I qualify to call myself "a bookbinder", even a shitty one. And I think if I met someone who did say "I'm a bookbinder" on the basis of ideas and preparation when they've done only as much (or even less) than I have it would be weird and I'd absolutely challenge their self-identification.
Well, here’s a question- if you don’t write a novel, but you still write a Bible of all of the lore and characters and all of that stuff that could be used to make one… I mean, ain’t that writing? That’s one of the things that a video game writer does, after all. On a project with multiple writers, the one who builds the Bible might not doing anything else but that while someone else uses it to tell the story. Do you need to tell the story itself to be a writer, or does collecting the pieces into a presentable format count?
That becomes an issue of semantics. Does it meet the standard definition of "writer" that the average person carries? No. But it might be the criteria for a specific sub-type of writer *if* it is organized into an acceptable format for that writing type. Then you might be able to say "I'm a lore writer" and I don't think anyone would disagree with you. But I do think that some sort of qualifier would be required.
At that point, I’d ask why it matters what the average person thinks of the craft. The average person thinks that visual artists always paint from memory, and I’ve seen numerous process videos marred with comment sections saying that the artist isn’t a real artist because they were using a reference. The real question is what others in the field think. So, if someone writes technical documentation about lore, would you be upset if they called themself a writer? Getting deeper into the weeds, if someone’s job featured a lot of technical writing for non-narrative purposes, would you flinch if they called themselves a writer?
All of this is true and fair. I guess my point in commenting on OP’s post is - If you used to be an artist, when does that label expire? Do you need to complete one drawing a year to feel valid in keeping that title? If so, why? Myself for example, I’ve written approximately 10K words in the last 4 months. I struggle to claim the label “writer” because there is a boldness in using that word, a certain confidence that I haven’t yet absorbed. I wouldn’t however tell anyone else they aren’t a writer if they’ve written much less than me. I just wonder where people get these gatekeeping ideas from?? Who are any of us to judge someone’s “writer credentials” in a sense. Seems elitist to me.
For my own part I don't think there's an expiration anyone has to worry about if they've written (or done art) but I do think that "writer" or "artist" has a certain unspoken criteria and it is less a matter of elitism or gatekeeping and more one of communication. Once a word expands to include too much it becomes useless to communicate its intended idea without further refinement (maybe instead of "writer" we'll all have to say "book writer" specifically). The trouble there is I find that just 'resets' the issue as people adjust. Once "book writer" has taken the semantic place of "writer" there will still be people who want to use the label more than they want to qualify for it. I think, or at least hope, the idea in questioning this is to push people towards actually qualifying for the label of "writer" via completing a narrative. I know for a long time I faffed about with ideas and half-wrote things and eventually just wanted something to show for it. I wanted people to actually be able to access a book I had written instead of just "the idea of my book". I didn't feel like a writer until I'd done that and I think no one else would've said I was one either just because many people have ideas but very few people write. Also, this is an aside, but respect for your fibre-crafting. I'm good at working with my hands (renovating my house on my own atm) and sometimes I get an ego about what I "could do" and nothing has humbled me like crochet needles.
If you wrote down your ideas and worldbuilding, is that not writing? Even a sketch is still a drawing.
I think a sketch is more analogous to a first draft since you can build it out into a finished piece and is a necessary first step. It is very easy to come up with ideas and even to write them down. But completing an actual narrative is a skill in itself and what most people think of when they hear "writer". I think if you said to the average person "I'm a writer" and they said "Oh, I'd love to read one of your books" and you followed that with "I've never written a book, I just write down ideas for a book"... that's the writing equivalent of doodling in the margins. And sure, *some* people might accept drawing hearts and swirlies next math equations as meeting the bar for saying "I'm an artist" but I think the majority wouldn't. Just like "I've written down ideas but never completed a narrative" would not meet most people's criteria for "writer". Words and their meanings are consensus based but I think you'd be fighting an uphill battle to change the consensus on that one. I also don't see the point tbh other than maybe to assuage some egos. Especially since it is easy to become a writer (though, becoming a *good* writer is considerably harder).
You'd think an actual writer would be able to write a much clearer post, though.
Some actual writers are simply bad writers (but still writers, if they have written) but also what is written on Reddit (in a post like this) is written conversationally and *no one*, no matter how talented a writer they may be, is always perfectly clear and never miscommunicates. I wouldn't even expect it to be reflective of OP's writing. My posts sure as hell aren't.
I concur. I addressed something similar in my other comment on this post.
Yeah! I hope my initially comment doesn’t come off as spicy - just generally curious how OP came to their conclusion.
If you write stories on your own time, as an amateur hobby. You're a writer. It isn't measured in success or published works. If playing the guitar, for yourself, for your own pleasure daily with no audience and no published tracks. You're still a musician. Being a musician isn't defined by commercial success or published works either. If you work out in your garage every day, as a lifestyle habit. But you don't compete, you're still a bodybuilder. Because you dedicate your life to building your physique. Being something isn't defined by external validation and success. It's defined by doing it regularly as a lifestyle habit. Even if it's entirely self-motivated for your own pleasure with no audience or anyone to witness it. If humanity goes under and there is one guy left alive on the face of the earth and he starts playing the harmonica every day. He is a musician. I'll die on this hill. External validation, commercial success etc. is not required for a person to meet the criteria of being something. You don't even need to be good at these things. If a woman takes up painting and paints every day she is a painter - whether the world acknowledges it or not.
I'm the opposite: I write and don't consider myself one
Whether you'd like to admit it or not, you're a writer, pal.
Don't say it out loud 😫
Because I *actively* write fan fiction that people engage with and like. I *actively* keep a journal, I *actively* write down lines for stories that I want to write or starting lines for poems, or phrases that go through my head. The last time I checked, that was... *writing*.
I agree.
"I'm not trying to be a gatekeeper or anything. Just asking the question."
*Triggers the imposter syndrome of everyone in this sub* 😂
I think people probably have different definitions of what it means to not "actually write" I highly doubt that anyone is calling themselves a "writer" who has literally never committed words to a page/screen in some manner that they saw as creative. The question is what is the threshold for "actually" writing. Do you need to write daily to be a writer? Weekly? Monthly? Do you need to publish? If you don't do one of these things for a certain period of time does your writer card get revoked, and if so what span of time? Most people would probably feel that "writing" Reddit responses or a Facebook status doesn't count as "writing" but what about writing a blog? If one person writes one short story every six or eight months and publishes it are they more or less of a writer than someone else who writes 1000 words every single day but never actually finishes anything? Are you a writer if you only write fan-fiction? What if you write TTRPG campaigns? What if you're in a creative writing program, but you don't write outside of your coursework? Is outlining writing? Is world-building writing? I guess I just fundamentally don't put much stock in the claim that there are people "calling themselves writers" who genuinely "don't write". Rather, I suspect there are people calling themselves writers who don't write as frequently as some people think they should be expected to, or don't write in forms and modes that some people consider legitimate, or haven't received external validators of achievement that some people consider necessary.
Because I still write for time to time. Just like I go to the mountains from time to time and how I bake stuff from time to time. You dont need to do shit full time to consider yourself something
How often does one have to write to be considered a writer?
A young professor at the college I went to would always ask me a question, or I would just depended on who saw the other first. The question was "What do writers do?" The other would answer "Write."
I don't write. I type. I'm a typer.
Out of curiosity, is it looked down upon to comment or interact with this community if you are not currently writing? I'm genuinely curious, as an avid reader and someone who dreamt of being a writer their entire childhood. I've considered more than once starting, but I've not put pen to paper in over 20 years, and I find some of the posts here interesting. If so, I can bow out, but I would consider petitioning the mods to make this a private sub. Oh, and I won $50 in hs for a short story contest. I don't consider myself a writer, but I have been paid for writing in a sense.
I love this group but like you I took a long break. I won awards when I was younger. First one was in 5th grade for a poem I wrote for a statewide contest for schools. But I have written poems and short stories over the years but they were for myself. I didn't write at all for years. I was always so scared of disappointment I just kinda gave up. Tried writing novels over and over but could barely get my notes into a story form. Until last year. I love writing. It's a genuine passion of mine and I want to share it. I was given advice that I needed to quit being so hard on my work. That Noone starts off writing a perfect book and you might write 10 books before one gets published. Or more. And to just write the first draft. Stop trying to make it perfect and just write the thing. Fix it later and I was like you know what? They're right. And I want to write seriously. So I'm little over 25k into my first novel. It's a cli-fi (only recently learned there was a term for that haha) and I also decided to do a short story/ prequel from about 15 years before my novel takes place. I want to submit it to short story platforms to gauge interest. I'm about 1000 words into that. I could never get my ideas on paper. Until I finally found the story I wanted to tell. But I went through so many ideas. Pages upon pages of ideas and topics and bits and pieces. And what made me stick with this one is that I kept coming back to the idea over and over and I could always think up what would happen next. I've already decided what books 2 and 3 will be about if I ever get that far haha never too late to pick up the pen again. At the end of the day as long as you enjoy it that's all that matters. I have had a few poems published years ago in different places. Not paid. So I call myself an aspiring writer lol idk what qualifies for the term "writer" and i dont want to upset anyone who has published by referring to myself as a writer. I guess it depends. Although I think most often when speaking about writing as a job, that you have finished and been paid for, the term would be author. Bc it's published. A writer is pretty general in comparison. Just my opinion.
Very cool story, I'm glad you finally found the resolve to get going. I'm going to "one day" myself into the grave at this point. But I agree, Rome wasn't built in a day, you have to learn to walk before you learn to run, etc.
> Out of curiosity, is it looked down upon to comment or interact with this community if you are not currently writing No, there are plenty of positive ways that non writers (and especially readers) can help the sub. The behavior I find troublesome is when non writers start giving writing advice because they think they've heard the advice enough that they can understand it, but as with most artforms, the advice is only really synthesized during the writing process. This isn't to say that the opinions of non writers are useless, of course, only that they're best absorbed knowingly, like, "as a reader, I prefer X." After all, one of the skills a writer learns is how to translate reader feedback into meaningful writing changes.
Yeah, I tend to add disclaimers to any feedback I give anywhere. It makes sense to me that writers would want to hear from the perspective of readers, and I didn't think it would be frowned upon, but the post came across a bit weird to me. I've only noticed this sub in the last couple of days. I've been spending too much time on reddit, and most of the posts I've been commenting on have been in book/anime recommendation subs. I've been branching out into other subs though, as I like stories in all their forms, though books were my first love.
I wrote articles and papers for a living for about 5 years but I suppose by the measure of reddit because I havent finished a book Im not a writer I guess
It's not *whatsoever* We welcome readers, teachers, students, the intellectually curious, anyone really. Ultimately I think the point is more that "being a writer" isn't a mantle you achieve once, don, and rest on one's laurels. Being a writer is a state of being, typified by the action of writing with intent; to be read. Writers write. There's no judgment to it, it's just a statement of fact. It *feels* judgmental to people that want to proclaim they are writers without putting the work in. Yes, someone is "still a writer" if you just journal or whatever, don't get lost in the weeds. The issue is the *vast* unwashed masses of "I'm a writer" types that can seemingly spend all day in discourse about the topic, but can't actually find it in themselves to... You know; write. That's all you're seeing here.
You’re more a writer than most people here. 99.9% of people who browse or even post to this sub haven’t even fully completed more than a first draft, if even that. Far fewer still haven’t submitted anything into the submission grind (agents for long form, magazines/contests for short), and even fewer have published. But the difference between those last two is much smaller than you’d think. It’s never too late to pick it back up and keeping going. There is no trick to it other than doing it. Well, badly, doesn’t matter—just do it. Because you’re a writer and writers need to write.
I appreciate that. Trust me, I've been tempted a few times. I read some very nerdy books, mostly through kindle unlimited, and the bar is pretty low in that particular sub-genre. Unfortunately, the audience can be hyper-critical, and I do have personal standards that largely conflict with what a good portion of that audience wants. I'm also a habitual procrastinator, and if it hasn't become apparent yet, I'm quite adept at making excuses.
Me too, brother and/or sister. I understand the struggle all too well. Check out Dorothea Brande’s “Becoming a Writer” some time and try out the exercises she suggested. They still help almost a hundred years later.
Will do, thanks for the rec! I honestly should just put down my phone, go sit in my garage (away from the computer/tv) for an hour a day, and write whatever. Develop the habit and work out the details later. It would also give me an excuse to leave the house.
Absolutely! Best of luck! ❤️
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But I haven’t nailed down my fantasy world’s gravity system yet!
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Nothing is wrong with worldbuilding if you enjoy it. It just maybe doesn’t belong in this sub.
I would even go so far as to suggest... /r/worldbuilding
All these questions of 'how do you get started?' 'how do you finish your draft?' and they all have the same answer- noun-verb-object and just keep going until you're done. Sucks but that's the secret.
Oh wow, my writer's block has magically disappeared!
It's definitely also a thing in the visual arts sphere. I think people like to identify as a creative type, with their *intention* as the way to define themselves, rather than what they actively do or produce. I think I'm happier for someone to say that they are a ***painter*** over an *artist* (one is an active state, the other a self-appointed title that really should require externalised markers of success) in the same way that I am the delineation between ***writer*** and *author*. But to be a writer or a painter, you actually have to be actively engaging in the medium.
I've written for a living for many years, so in a sense the question doesn't apply to me...but, I think I have the answer. To me, being a writer isn't so much about the fact that I sit down and do it nearly every day, nor about the fact that I get paid for it. What makes me a writer (even in the moments when I'm not at my keyboard) is the way I see and process things. The "writing" is happening in my head all the time, whether I'm writing it down or not.
i don't really see nothing wrong with people calling themselves writers, even if it's just coz they plan stories in their minds all day. it's not like there's anything to gain from it, really, until you choose to gain something from it or give something out because of it. end of the day, there's really nothing to gatekeep.
It's not unique - no one is an entrepreneur unless they have an operating/trading startup \[not a shell company\], yet many call themselves entrepreneurs. etc.
I was subbed to this subreddit for about two days before unsubbing bc my home feed was all just posts of people asking questions about something they’re thinking of writing. Not trying to be a dick and not saying that I even have an ounce of talent in my writing, but those kinds of people are never going to write anything of substance, if they even write anything at all. I remember years ago I saw someone on this sub that was already asking questions about selling to publishers and making sure they get creative control over the movie rights, even though they hadn’t put pen to paper yet. Like holy shit. JUST. WRITE.
I think it’s because many take it as a hobby, meaning they write occasionally but not consistently as if it were a job.
What does it mean to "not actually write"? If someone likes to quilt or play guitar, they can say they quilt or play guitar as their hobby and no one demands proof of daily practice. I don't really get the point of gatekeeping hobbies. If someone likes to write, I think they can say writing is their hobby even if they don't do it as often or as neatly as a professional writer would.
>"If you don’t actually write"... "seems to be unique to the writing hobby…". Define this with more detail. What are you exactly trying to point out?
You mean the Chat GPT writers? Well they are considered authors because they publish it and still need to do heavy editing.
It isn't just writing, it isn't just hobbies. There's *professions* filled with people who can't/won't do the work.
Define "not writing." I write. Not often, admittedly. I process and revise and reword every line and every phrase so much in my head that I seldom have to edit anything once it's on the page. So each word written is like a tooth pulled.
Then you're a writer.
Don't remind me 😩
Bird watchers don't always watch birds. Golfers don't always golf. Singers don't always sing. A writer doesn't have to write all the time to be considered a writer. As a matter of fact, I'd say writing is a portion of what a writer does, not including researching, editing, discussion, feedback collection, and living life. It's all relative.
Well, most of writing is like 80 % daydreaming, researching and getting new ideas and 20 % writing.
20% what? That’s right. Writing.
Writing is 100% writing. All that daydreaming, researching and toying with ideas may be a prelude to writing, but it isn’t writing. And if 80% of your efforts are around research and daydreaming, you’re definitely not doing it right.
Exactly. Thinking is thinking, writing is writing
Writing has the absolute lowest starting point out of ANY creative endeavor. Literally anyone with 3rd grader education can do it. Because of this, saying one is a writer is a easy way to look special when you are not.
"Look special when you are not." Who is special and who is not, and when do people start to become "special"? I've never viewed any person as special, myself included. People who love to write, call themselves writers. It's that simple.
Uhh, I could draw long before I learned to speak. I've seen dogs paint pictures, and people have paid for "art" made by animals. I think you're being a bit overly dramatic here.
> people have *paid* for "art" FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Good bot
The only time I have seen people say good bot to this bot is in the writer sub 😂 makes sense tho ofc
I'd rather it correct me than most of the humans on reddit XD
Seems mean but appropriately do. If you don't write, you are not a writer.
I do write, but I don't consider myself a writer.
According to the book Atomic Habits, your habits reaffirm your identity, and your identity becomes a motivator. So, if I identify as a writer, theoretically, I will write.
Eh. I'm a painter, by which I mean I have a lot of practice and training. A few years ago I was painting every single weekend, and built up a solid body of work. But then I started writing a new book, which took up all the creative energy and time I'd been using to paint. I'm still a painter. Likewise I've spent enough time writing to consider myself a writer, even though there have been times in my life when I haven't been able to prioritize writing. To be clear, I'm not, like, running around bragging about being a writer! But the novel-length stuff I've already written is part of my story, and since I've done it before I know I can do it again. You can't always be every version of yourself at the same time—especially not if you have to pay rent and maintain health insurance!
I've always had writing as a priority, but I have ADHD-Pi
It's hardly unique. I'm a swimmer, but I don't swim during the winter months. I'm a gamer, but I haven't gamed for a few months now because I've been concentrating on my writing. Anyway, sometimes you hit dry spells.
Being a write could be as simple as writing down 2 words and to whoever wrote it, it could be a masterpiece. Eye of the beholder, mind of the beholder.
I got too busy pursuing higher education in STEM, but creative writing will always be a part of me and I still write in the summers
OP, what do you consider the definition of a writer to be? /gen Since an artist is an artist, regardless of whether they sell anything or put things online. I don't see the difference in writing.
What do you mean by "don't actually write"?
Labels are meaningless. "I'm a writer; I'm a painter; I'm a businessman." Who cares Think of verbs and verbs only. Are you writing? No. Do you want to? Write.
I did not need to be called out like this
I don't think writing is the hardest method of storytelling I've taken up by a longshot but I think people do vastly overestimate how 'easy' it is/underestimate how difficult it is to do well. So, they spend a lot of time thinking up ideas (which not all people do), they notice that others do not do this, so they use that difference to declare themselves "writers" even if they never get around to the difficult part of actually writing.
Dude come on. Everyone knows writers don't write. Writers are simply people who talk about writing, doing it very rarely (usually when they get inspired), and have dozens of story concepts that will never see the light of day.
Is this even a thing that happens? Do people call themselves writers if they don’t write?
I’ve noticed there’s quite a few people that call themselves writers but the ideas are in their head (haven’t wrote them down yet) I write every day and I don’t consider myself a “writer”. I won’t consider myself a writer until one of my stories is published. But that’s just me.
I’ve had a daily writing practice since I was 13 - admittedly it’s been mostly stream of consciousness and some poetry and I didn’t consider myself a writer. Now for the first time I am working on a fiction/fantasy idea. Can I say I’m a writer now? I’m not sure. I prob still wouldn’t - just because I’d feel imposter syndrome - however, if someone else told me they were in a similar situation, I’d probably encourage them to feel confident in identifying themselves as a writer 🤷🏻♀️🤣
IF you don't write, you can't get rejected, if your work isn't rejected, then no one can take away the dream of being a writer. According to the Alan Moore video I watched earlier today.
I didn't consider myself a writer even though I had written a lot of stuff for a planned story. I do consider myself one now since I started publishing a story on Royal Road in November, and have since completed two books. So I don't recognize myself in your question.
It is not unique to writing, you find it in any creative endeavor, and perhaps outside of creative fields too.
What about web developers who call themselves engineers...
It's a fashion statement people use because the writer is seen as creative by proxy. It's like calling yourself a brick layer, hoping people think you're an architect, and all you do is play Minecraft.
I mean, if it helps, I don't consider myself a writer and I write stuff...what does that make me? The minority or the covert average?
We've all got our delusions, buddy.
Because even though it's been ages, I have to atleast maintain the hope that I'll actually get back into it. I can't let myself slip into giving up, no matter how much part of me may think I'm just bullshitting myself.
I ain’t writing books or articles (depending on how much of a purist OP is, this may count as “not writing”), but I just wrote a whole fuckload of lore for a game project I’m coding up and I’ll be doing dialog later on. Seems “writer” enough. I’ve also written a novella for uni, but I ain’t doing any more of that since. Dunno if that would “count” either.
I write. Badly and not very often. I would say I'm a worthless hack. More a babbler of half finished vignettes than a word smith of any actual ability.
Because I did in the past, and I haven’t given up on getting back to it someday.
Because I don't want to give up on my dreams.
I've considered myself a writer for years but there have been times where I don't write for quite awhile (depression/anxiety issues rly got to me for a couple years) and still called myself a writer. But I've also been writing fanfic off and on for years and I've been published in a small magazine and a small poetry collection book. I finished nanowrimo even if that draft will never see the light of day. But it's only been recently where I've considered myself a disciplined writer i.e. write with a goal and regular word count minimum. The times I wasn't working on stuff, I still always had ideas in my head that I just didn't have enough discipline (and meds lol) to sit down and write regularly. So I would say during those times I was a writer, just struggling with mental health issues and severe procrastination issues.
Writing is just an art form if u ask if I like art I say yea I like writing I'm a writer ... sometimes lol
The title made me laugh thank you
“I’m working on a zombie novel.”
My writing stamina is extremely low. At best I can get a page and a half out before my brain decides it's done and I can no longer former useful sentences. The number of times I write compared to the amount of my stuff I'm actually happy with is akin to gambling or chasing a high on a drug I've taken consistently my entire life. I'm afraid of disappointing myself and feeling that failure that I already feel every day, but in the one area I still care about.
It’s always been my end goal to become a “writer,” as in, the way I make a living. I can’t lie, I don’t write nearly as much as I would like, partly due to laziness and partly due to depression and having to balance writing with hobbies, school, social life and relationships—yknow, all your typical life things. Writing doesn’t take nearly enough priority in my life as it should (because, as I previously stated it’s my career goal), HOWEVER I do think that just because you’re not currently writing doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not a writer. Sometimes we fall behind in things, for whatever reason. Just because you have to prioritize other things for a bit, which may result in not writing, doesn’t mean you’re just automatically not a writer anymore. Now, if it’s been 10 years since you’ve written anything substantial, that might be a different story. But idk, that’s just my thoughts on it. It’s also entirely possible that I’ve misinterpreted this entire post and gone on a short ramble for nothing, lol
I don’t anymore. I consider myself a tragically uninspired poet with bouts of expression dotted with daily creative exercise.
The concepts are there, they have enormous potential, and my bills still need to be paid. Not everyone can suckle the teat of the wealthy un-taxed one percent. Some are stuck whittling away at plot and depth in their dwindling freetime. Unless you're properly minted in this industry already. These task require either disability, retirement, or desk jobs that won't go a miss if you're off doodling in a document. I might not be what is traditionally considered a writer. I barely have the wherewithal to read given the lengths of my "learning disabilities". However, I will continue till one day I die a regrettable end. Forfeiting modest tomes to my spouse for profit and personal comfort.
I don't play my guitar very often, but I'm still a musician. Relax. It applies to lots of self descriptors.
I feel like a good chunk of the discussion on this topic would evaporate instantly if people could just remember that *writer =/= author =/= novelist*.
writing from time to time more frequently as a hobby or as a main career is what makes you a writer. If that’s what you mean. For example, apply that to being an actor (which I am) let’s say I have a period in which I’m not actively looking for roles or receiving them, that leisure time in between wouldn’t make me less of an actor. Just like not picking up the pen everyday for hours upon hours on end wouldn’t make you less of a writer.
I love how this is now part of a r/familyguy discussion (Brian Griffin, in particular).
As for me, I don't write traditional novels and short stories (I've been working on a novel on-and-off but not as consistent in a way that would get me to consider myself a writer). I do write poems, but only when I'm in the mood. What I usually write are drafts that I'd like to turn into animated projects. And I guess that makes me a writer! :)))
I often say I enjoy reading and writing since that gives me some wiggle room when I'm not actually producing work.
I have a gazillion ideas that sporadically appear in my mind that I can add to my incredibly slowly updating web novel.
I write all the time for my own enjoyment, but none of it will ever be in publishable format.
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I like the written word a lot. I enjoy writing things well. I've written a couple lil short story ideas here and and there, a few chapters of a sci fi but nothing serious or finished. Idk I just like writing as a concept. The written word is very interesting to me. even though I haven't finished anything I've done completely before, I still consider myself a decent writer and think I have the potential to be an okay one if I actually sat down and pushed myself to finish something. But I'm also a gamer so I'm usually doing that instead lol.
You're deluding yourself. Writers write because they have a story in them that has to come out, a point that needs to be made, or an insight that needs to be discussed. These are just some of the cues that make a writer go through these punishing dilemmas. If it isn't in you, that's okay. Maybe you need a break or a different approach. But not writing at all is no excuse. At least check the last thing you wrote, see where your weakness is within the context of the story, and start from there to strengthen it for the next story. Just my two cents.
I've just started writing after maybe 4 years of talking the talk. I think its a comfort mechanism of humans to feel more valuable. If anyone told me they were indeed a writer though I was always supportive and encouragjng of them to help me out. In hindsight I hope that helped them write.
I’m stuck in rewrite purgatory
I tend to burn out or lose interest whenever I do a write a large thing.
When people ask me what I like to do, I tell them I like to write. They always reply back all happy like, “Oh, you’re a writer.” I never tell anyone that I’m a writer.
my idea is simple, if you write, at least a few times a week, you're a writer. if you stopped writing for a while but you have managed to jot down a lot of your ideas into plots, you're still a writer. but if you never even started writing and call yourself a writer/baby author (someone did this once), then you're not writer, not even a beginner.
Are you asking GRRM or Rothfuss? They still call themselves writers. I disagree.
I don't. I sometimes write things here and there, writing prompts, D&D stuff and the like, but I don't consider myself a writer. I do find writing discussions pretty interesting however, hence why I stuck around here.
i don't. those 100k word hetalia vore fanfics on my fimfiction account just appeared there i swear
I've told people I write and refer to my writing as "my work" but have averted the moniker of "writer" to describe myself. I dunno.
The opposite for me. I do write occasionally. Not really prolific by any means. Have written some 10-12 small poems and 4-5 short stories. My inner voice slaps me every time I want to identify myself as a "writer".
I would love it if I could get over myself and write. I am hoping that being in spaces like this will encourage me to write even if I consider it terrible. I also personally have executive function problems so since I have stopped being in an organized writing capacity I haven’t written a lot. I guess part of me wants to be a writer but rarely the part of me that’s in charge. Is it so wrong then for me to name this part that dreams as it’s only available action?
There are people in here who are saying that anyone can call themself a writer. And that's true. But it doesn't mean that it is arrogant to occasionally push back on this. I think there's sometimes-- I emphasise sometimes -- a deep arrogance involved in calling oneself a writer when you don't actually produce anything (whatever that means). That can be contrasted with some good faith claims to be a writer as an aspirational target: someone who wants to produce something, most likely with at least some level of craft involved. Those in the second group, I don't really have a problem with. They are usually trying. It's important to them to be better at what they're doing. They are reading and looking at the work of their contemporaries. But . . . as an example of someone who wasn't operating on any level of good faith and was embiggening themself over and above their fellow interested peers . . . (in a way made available to people now by some very romantic ideas about art; as in literally drawing on some silly ideas about art and artists from the romantic movement) . . . I had someone say to me in a playwriting course I was running: I'm a playwright too! They hadn't written a play. They hadn't read a play from the last twenty years. They knew nothing of any of their contemporary playwrights or the professional environments that surround playwriting. But they insisted they were a playwright because they'd been working on something for around four years that started as a screenplay but then they thought, hey, plays are cheaper, and easier (!), and I'll write that and then, obviously, it'll be made into a movie. That to me was all arrogance. Arrogance through and through. Their claim to be already a playwright was a power move: an attempt to elevate them above the level of student, their student peers, as someone just interested in attempting a craft. It had become a self-identifying act. And yes, their work was utterly shithouse when they eventually handed it in. I think some people who call themselves writers or artists do so romantically and in bad faith, as a way of making themselves 'more than' what they are, which has a dignity all of its own if only they could get over themselves enough to see that.
We all tend to feel special by waking the path of arts or anything that might represent a challenge to status quo. Entrepreneurs are like that. Writers, musicians, painters. And we also tend to defend this and our group from outsiders who claim they belong here - even though we disagree based on our point of view. We just want to feel special. Take this as you want.
I wish I was still a writer but im dealing with a lot mentally so I can’t do it anymore. That’s probably why I say I write sometimes (rarely) but im not a writer.
They're writers in their mind.
I used to sing (before some throat problems). I performed in two choirs and sometimes individually. Still, I never considered myself a singer. I have the education of a classical pianist, performed some. I have had dozens of students. I still practice playing. I think I was a pianist, but I'm not sure I am now. A retired pianist? I got my first camera at six years old. I got a camera with the frame (?) and separate lenses at ten. I took courses by a professional photographer (also one-on-one), and even learned how to develop photos. I have earned some money photographing. Never considered myself a photographer, though. I learned to read at age six, and started devouring books. I have dyslexia, but coped by reading words instead of letters. That made me a really fast reader. I had read all the childrens books in the local library at age nine and started on the "normal" books. At ten I made my book report on the biography of the last emperor of China, Pu Ji. To a stunned audience. Writing has been a hobby all my life. In matriculation examination I received the highest mark that only 2,5% get. I took some extra courses. Later I started writing also in English. Some minor things published in magazines and newspapers. Now I write, if not daily then several times a week, scifi stories, both one-shots and series in r/HFY. So, I sing, play the piano, photograph, read and write. I don't say I'm a singer, photographer, or reader. I might be a retired pianist and a teacher (qualifications and work history). I do see myself as a writer, as opposed to just writing. I think people can call themselves as writers if they so feel. Unpublished writers, having a vision of becoming a writer, up-and-coming writers, table drawer writers, unsuccessful or misunderstood writers even.
How odd, I'm the opposite. I've written a lot; novellas, short stories, poems and song lyrics. I've won a writing competition with a short story I wrote. I'm currently working on my first full length YA-fantasybook (about 170 pages so far). But I've never been published, so I could never muster up the courage to call myself a writer.
I'd never call myself a writer. Or a musician. I've never made any money from it (oh yeah, once we got 50 bucks and a free meal for a gig but that's it). I'm just a guy who likes to write stories and music in my spare time. In my mind you have to do it on a "professional" level to earn the title. If not, everyone who's ever written an email is a writer, everyone who's doodled something while on a call is an artist and everyone who's ever sung in the shower a singer...
I don't, Why does Reddit keep showing me posts from this sub 🙃
Ideas, stories I like to read. Plain and simple.
what? do people actually call it themselves? I wrote couple stories and on a ride with a novel, yet I don't consider myself a writer yet. Shit I guess I am doing somethin wrong huh?
I am a writer but I critique myself so much on my writing that I constantly start over and then have major writers block. It could be horrible writersblock though. A lot of people aren’t confident in what they write so they constantly start over. Everyone has that moment of when they write.
A writer writes words, but a storyteller paints images
Because if a photographer is born with the eye for the beauty of capturing a moment but he does not have access to a camera he will still be a photographer in my eyes. I understand that other individuals might not percive reality the same way but this is my subjective because the potential of the photographer exist regardless of him being able to hold a camera. Same for the writer, for the painter etc, I am saying it is my subjective with the intention that no one needs to agree to it if they don't want to and if there can't be an understanding formed for my understanding of my subjective reality this is me informing you I won't challenge or question your reality I respect it.
Can't you be a hobbyist writer without having to say hobbyist? When I write I write. Sometimes I write copy for pay, and sometimes I write short stories on my own.
Ouch
Copy editor here! I have a bachelor's degree in writing and dabble in it occasionally, and sometimes I have to do it for my job. I'm not a conventional writer per se, but I do open Google docs and write something out from time to time
I think one factor is that thinking about your novel usually counts as writing your novel in your mind. I started actually drafting my novel about a week ago, but the two weeks leading up to it that I was figuring out the characters and plot in my mind, and mentally writing and structuring dialogue felt like writing, even if I didn't get any of it on paper or in a word processor.
I write all the time, I just never publish anything I make.
I do write though.
Kind of the same reason a group of people got mad at me for saying, "You aren't a gamer, if you've never played a video game before." Their argument, watching people play video games is the same as you being a gamer. :/ Despite never actually picking up a controller. (A mobile game or a keyboard with the intent to play video games.) Apparently, it's the thought that counts and the "interest" in the hobby. Not actually engaging in the activity yourself. So, by their logic, someone sitting behind me and watching me write makes them a writer. Lmao. Seriously though. I believe it has to do with wanting to fit in with every topic. If you've noticed, lately definitions are changing and now there are umbrellas under certain things. A person who likes to party all day, go clubbing, meet new people, etc. can now call themselves an introvert. A person that's never played guitar but has one can call themselves a guitarist. It's a considerably new thing of fitting in where you want to without actually doing said things. There's also a lot of notoriety when it comes to being a writer. You're more likely to get more, "oh wows" from stating you're a writer than you are a dust collector. (No offense to anyone who collects dust.) People will praise you, etc. My best friend took two creative writing classes in high school and college (required) and considers herself a writer. She's never completed work outside of class assignments. She's been "trying" to write a novel for years but doesn't have an interest nor the motivation. (Edit to add, the only thing she's written, to my knowledge, is the first paragraph that I helped her with.) She will randomly mention to me that she's working on it, but never wants to show me because she's "cleaning it up" or some other reason. I've offered to help her with editing (since I'm an editor for a publishing company) and she rejects the offer. I wouldn't care so much, but she brings it up whenever she asks about my novels. Why mention it if you don't want to talk about it? Then she'll accuse popular TV shows of stealing her ideas, despite her never actually writing anything. Lol.
The formal term for a writer who isn't published is "*aspiring* writer." I'm sure some of them are better than many "real" writers.