What is a writer? Someone who's been published? Someone who writes every day? Someone who's actually finished a project?
I think the most dogmatic you can get without becoming subjective is to say that a writer is someone who writes. Once you start defining a writer by projects accomplished or method of writing it's only your opinion.
So why am I talking about this? Well, because of a blog post I recently read which spawned this counter-post (a riposte?).
I think the most dogmatic you can get without becoming subjective is to say that a writer is someone who writes. Once you start defining a writer by projects accomplished or method of writing it's only your opinion.
So why am I talking about this? Well, because of a blog post I recently read which spawned this counter-post (a riposte?).
The author said a writer is someone who is serious about writing. If you have a million stories going at one time, keep getting distracted by new ideas, or never have any progress in your writing, then you are a phony writer.
Actually, a phony writer is someone who only pretends to write. Someone who writes at all, even if it is sporadic, misguided, amateur, and completely non-serious is still a writer.
“Yes, but no true writer—”
Well, who gets to decide what a true writer is? Who gets to make the list of requirements everyone has to meet before he can become a true writer?
I’m sticking with the dictionary definition.
“Yes, but no true writer—”
Well, who gets to decide what a true writer is? Who gets to make the list of requirements everyone has to meet before he can become a true writer?
I’m sticking with the dictionary definition.
It’s sort of like the fake fan idea that’s been floating around for a while. If you don’t like something as much as I do, you’re a fake fan. Who gets to decide whether you’re fake or real? Me.
The problem is that if someone else likes the thing more than I do, he might just call me a fake fan. And someone who likes it more than he does can call him fake, and so on. Objectively speaking, the real fake fan (well, that sounded weird) is the person who only pretends to like something.
Here’s another one you hear a lot: fake people. (I love this one.) What even is a fake person?
You can pretend to be someone you’re not, but that’s being a fake cool/smart/happy/whatever person; not a fake person. Clothing store mannequins actually are fake people, but let’s not judge them for something they can’t help.
You can pretend to be someone you’re not, but that’s being a fake cool/smart/happy/whatever person; not a fake person. Clothing store mannequins actually are fake people, but let’s not judge them for something they can’t help.
I’m not trying to convey the cliched idea that all you have to do is believe in yourself and you can be anything you want. That’s not the point of this post at all. I’m saying that you can’t call someone a phony because he doesn’t measure up to what you think he should be.
Well, you can (it’s a free country), but calling him a fake doesn’t make him one.
Well, you can (it’s a free country), but calling him a fake doesn’t make him one.
Should you be serious about writing? Sure, if you want to. If you want to be frivolous about writing, that’s fine too. It’s a free country. You may not like the way some people approach the art of writing, but ultimately your opinion is only as valid as the next person’s.
Sorry. :/
Sorry. :/
What if you’re not serious about writing? What if you only write for fun (fanfiction, for instance)? What if all you ever write are blog posts about writing tags? Does that mean you’re not a real writer?
What if you love the Harry Potter movies but have never read the books? Does that make you a fake fan?
Nope. Not according to the dictionary.
What if you love the Harry Potter movies but have never read the books? Does that make you a fake fan?
Nope. Not according to the dictionary.