I am a writer AND an author.
I did a Project to Published (advice for bloggers who want to get published) post on my personal blog earlier this year and have now realized I was wrong about one of the things I said. I talked about how a writer is someone who writes for themselves and that being an author means you want writing to be your career and have at least one publication. It was only a sentence or so in a post but it had been explained to me multiple times that, that was how it worked. You were a writer until you are published. Well, I now have a new definition for me personally and wanted to share it.
You may have noticed after reading this that the name of this blog is The Writers Voice and not The Authors Voice. Somehow I think that without realizing it I may have already known what I am about to say here and only recently discovered.
I may be an author, with my career and my goals all pertaining to creating novels and other works for others to enjoy but I am also a writer. I write because it is the only thing I can imagine ME doing. With my crazy imagination that kind of says a lot. I can imagine that a basket is actually a dragon and have a plot come from it, I can see a feather and have a series planned or a tribal mask and suddenly, I have a sequel to my first novel. But I just can’t imagine myself being happy if I am not writing. I am a lifelong adventurer who hasn’t gotten to see the world so created her own that she could explore any time. While some of my novels or stories that I have created may stay in my mind and not make it to publication (though the feather one was just signed on by Bokheim for next year! YEAY!) they are still a part of who I am and a part of my writing experience.
So in short. My new definition of a writer: Someone who feels like they are denying their soul if they are away from a notebook, laptop or typewriter for any extended period of time. Someone who knows that when someone says you have your head in the clouds, they are right and what a view of the world in its entirety from up here because we can see so much more. A writer is someone who realizes that when you live without books you get one life and when you are a writer or a reader you can live infinitely no matter how many years you are given.
So off to more adventures! So far there are two books planned for next year and if I can manage to finish this one in the next few months then there might be three!!!
What does being a writer or a reader mean to you?
Great post! I have often pondered this question, and it's nice to see what someone else thinks.
ReplyDeleteI believe that just because you aren't published yet doesn't mean you're not an author. You may not have millions or even hundreds of people reading your books, but more than likely, someone is reading them -- even if it is only your spouse, best friend, or cousin. An author is someone who shares their work for others to enjoy.
An author is also a writer, though I don't believe a writer is always an author. I think the main difference between a writer and an author is that a writer writes for fun, and may not necessarily want to share their work. Maybe writing is stress-relieving for them, or is just a hobby. An author will also be a writer who writes for fun, but unlike the writer, they want their work read, want to share it with the world. They write for others, not only for themselves.
Thanks for letting me post my thoughts as well! Good luck with your stories! :)
Alexandra~
http://www.wordsoftheworlds.blogspot.com
I often ask people, 'Do you want to know the secret to being a writer?'
ReplyDeleteWith eager desperation they say, 'YES!'
So I tell them, 'Writers...write.'
At first they are a little underwhelmed and dumbstruck but that's the truth of it.
What I love about writing is that is not limited to one format. Sure, there are authors and novelists but a writer may not necessarily be published, write fiction or even write prose.
I love so many different types of writing. I think that sometimes people forget that not all writers write novels and short stories.
I think that regardless of whether you are unpublished or what genre or format you prefer to write in, if you are passionate about writing, I'm interested in what you have to say on the subject.