Is it when you first get your work published? That can't be it; in order to make it to publication, you generally have to spend a hell of a long time actually writing before that to get something polished enough to be worth it.
Is it when you get a story handed back to you in an English class with a high mark and a glowing comment? Nah, that can't be it either - don't know about you guys, but I had some real yahoos for English teachers in high school and they wouldn't know good from bad writing if it jumped off the page and strangled them with run-on nightmares or pellucid prose.
Is it when you realize you're silently narrating your life as if you were a character in a novel? You know, "She descended into the musty basement, sidestepping a derelict lawnmower and some manky boots on the way to the washing machine." Errrm... or maybe that one's just me. I always hate writing description anyway...
Is a daily diarist a writer? How about a doodler? That counselor at summer camp who scared the crap out of all your cabinmates with his original ghost stories? The ad agency grunt who concocts the newest and shiniest lies for the latest and glossiest products?
Is it any of these? Or is it all of them?
Image swiped from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/writer
4 comments:
When isn't a writer? I totally forgot to do my topical Tuesday yesterday. Mea culpa all! I even visited the site and so on. No excuse but mindlessness.
As to when is a writer - yes - to it all and including the word 'manky' gets you extra writer points.
I think Faulkner said it best: he only knew he was a writer while he was writing.
When you believe. BELIEVE!! Hi.
Jan - Yeah, I've stopped being post-police quite so much... And I love the word "manky", it's just such a great adjective. :-)
Richard - Haven't heard that one before, but I like it!
Mark - Do we have to clap our hands for this or is that just for fairies? ;-)
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