Musing: books - What makes you a writer?

[wilderthan]

"I'm not saying you should bother reading these, especially now that Koontz is openly being Christian and Stephen King thinks he is a writer, but I have a fondness for some of these books."

This, in a goodreads review, made me wonder what exactly people think the term "writer" means. I see plenty of people saying authors they don't like aren't "real writers". Stephen King isn't a real writer because he just writes horror. King isn't a real writer because he just writes stuff that'll be popular. J. K. Rowling isn't a real writer because I don't like her stuff. Stephanie Meyer isn't a real writer because she's a talentless hack.

For me, a writer is someone who writes. Simple as that. You're a writer if you do a little column in your local paper, you're a writer if you publish a bestseller every two months, you're a writer if you write one critically acclaimed book and then vanish into the ether. You're a writer if you only publish your fiction on your livejournal, or even if it never goes beyond your computer screen.

You can argue yourself blue in the face, but you'll never convince me that Stephen King isn't a writer. I happen to think he's not the talentless hack snobs like to dub him, but I've said all that in my reviews. And much as I hate her books, I have to admit, J. K. Rowling is still a writer.

But that's apparently not the only interpretation of the word "writer"? So what's yours?

Comments

[ruby-shards.livejournal.com]

I think pretty much what you said. If you write, you're a write. While I don't care for Stephanie Meyer and think her stuff is crap, I admit she's a writer. I think it's useless to claim that someone isn't a writer just because you dont' like them. However, I think you're a writer if you make a point to write outside of requirements. For example, writing a history paper for a class required for a major does not make you a writer, because you have to do it. Making a conscious effort to write an essay on history because you are genuinely interested in the topic and then submitting the essay to some kind of contest or keeping it for yourself or whatever you do with it makes you a writer.

[wilderthan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, true, if you just write when you have to that doesn't count.

[lassarina]

This, basically.

I think people are assuming an implied adjective of "good" or "the kind (of writer) I like" to be attached to 'writer' when they say things like this, and that's just not true.

[sleepflowered.livejournal.com]

writers write, it's what they do. the quality of one's work doesn't change the fact that it's writing.

[samuraiter.livejournal.com]

Stephanie Meyer isn't a real writer because she's a talentless hack.

Hear, hear! Though she does keep my book store in business. -_-

[soleta-nf.livejournal.com]

It's all part of the process of putting "writing" up on a pedestal as something only brilliant, rare people can do. This is why people put off writing and don't think they can do NaNoWriMo - they think you have to write an amazing book all in one draft, and that just doesn't happen. Writing is done by regular people, the likes of you and me, and it's a process and a craft. It's not something that only results in "highbrow" and exulted literature - all kinds of people write all kinds of things.