ARE YOU a WRITER or a PERSON WHO WRITES?

ARE YOU A WRITER…OR A PERSON WHO WRITES?
(7 Tips to Tell the Difference)
By
Jennifer Brown Banks

Forget what you’ve been told. You know…the school of thought that suggests that all that’s required to be a writer is merely to “claim it.” Hogwash!
A lawyer is not a lawyer by merely “claiming it,” nor a doctor, nor a teacher, nor any other professional. Why would it be any different for a writer?

Disregard too, the popular premise that if you pen thoughts to paper, you are by virtue thereof, a writer. Malarkey!
That would mean that every person that commits entries to a journal would qualify as well.
Writing is more than an act or practice; it’s a mindset, a lifestyle, a calling. Though there is no concrete, consistent definition that serves as “gospel,” the following principles and practices separate “real writers” from those who merely write.

1. Do you find that you never really seem to have enough time to write? A real writer makes the time. He/she will steal time during lunch breaks at work, while the kids are napping, or during a Sunday sermon at church. Though he/she may not write everyday, it is a function performed on a regular basis. You can’t be a real writer unless you write. It’s like the lottery commercial that states “you can’t win if you don’t play!”

2. Are you an avid reader? Real writers have a love affair with words—whether their own, or the works of others. It’s impossible to be a real writer without studying what works for readers and applying it. 

3. Do you have a natural curiosity for things? Real writers are inquisitive, analytical creatures. Writers never stop learning or asking questions. 

4. Would you write for free? A real writer will write for free, for food, or for a song! He/she is not solely motivated by money or prestige. True scribes write because we must!