A random Substack comment and who gets to call themselves a writer

Someone said I’m not a writer… and of course, I had to write about it! Here’s my take on who gets to call themselves a writer and what the internet says.

Being a writer is one of those labels where half the people carry it without knowing how they got it. And the other half are still hesitant about using it.

A random comment on my Notes made me want to research this topic. And if you’ve known me long enough, you know I needed to have my own take and, of course, write about it.

So, who gets to call themselves a writer?

What this article is about:

• “You’re not a writer,” a random person on Substack probably.

• What the internet thinks a writer is.

• What actually makes someone a writer (my take!)

Author’s note ✍

As I was doing research for this article, I came to realize that there’s also a discussion on the difference between “author” and “writer”.

I’ve been signing off all my articles with this “Author’s note,” and while I didn’t look too much into the definition of author (that’s a whole other debate), I’ll keep doing it for the time being. Because I consider myself a writer and I very much hope to see this author’s dream also fulfilled — with this book I’m writing!

So, bear with me, writer.

“You’re not a writer,” a random person on Substack probably

I’m not a social media person. In fact, I think that my profile pictures (the ones that have my actual face on them) haven’t been updated for years.

I also don’t post much.

But here on Substack, I’ve come to open myself up more and share things I usually don’t. My silly mistakes, what I’m working on, or just random pictures of what I’m up to on any given day. I even started documenting my first and second month on Substack here.

And more importantly, I’ve met other writers. Most of them kind and willing to provide tips as well as share their own experiences.

Some others not as nice.

eye roll…

Now, this wasn’t the first time this person had commented something less than kind in my Notes. So, I sent them straight to rude commenter jail.

But this gave me a good idea for an article.

Being a writer has always been tied to my identity. I was good at it when I was in school. And because of my work, I’ve written content for software companies, marketing agencies, and even consumer brands here and there.

This “writer” label was a given to me.

So, I decided to go on a rabbit hole to see what’s out there.

What the internet thinks a writer is

You know me . I like to do research for my articles. Even if it’s just a quick search. And no better place to start than typing “what is a writer” on Google.

As a former SEO writer, I don’t trust the AI Overviews much, so I went into the articles below.

I encountered many essay pieces with strong positions that I won’t be linking here, and others with looser definitions.

I checked the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

And I wasn’t very sure about that part where the stocks come in. Then, Wikipedia gave an answer that I liked slightly better.

Of course, I had to see what Reddit had to say about it too.

And finally, I checked a book that has been with me for a few years. On Writing Well by William Zinsser, which is mostly for non-fiction. But here’s a picture of one of the passages I really like.

Nonetheless, writing is an “act of literature”.

But how does that separate a writer from an office worker who writes emails every day? Or from a student writing a five-paragraph essay due the next day? Or from someone who strings a few sentences together and calls it a day?

Every definition is slightly different. Some are too narrow, some are broad, and some are confusing (like those… stocks).

So, here’s my take.

What actually makes someone a writer (my take!)

A writer is someone who writes with intention.

Someone who not only can string a few sentences together and form paragraphs, but someone who is:

• Communicating something

• Making deliberate choices

• And improving

When I was in college, a friend who was an art major explained to me that there was a lot of discussion about what art actually was. That people were asking themselves how a dot on a canvas is different from someone sticking chewing gum on a canvas.

In modern art, when does it become art and when is it just trash?

I remember that she said something along the lines of art being tied to human expression. But that expression has to be done with intention. There has to be meaning behind it.

Writing is also a form of art and I believe my definition is similar to hers. With communicating, making choices, and improving, I want to include the writer who has a draft of a novel in Google Docs and is still hesitant to share. The writer who’s been working on the same story for years and still isn’t done. The poet whose poems live in a notebook. The hobbyist who writes short stories on the weekends and never shows anyone. And the writer who manages 200 words on a good week.

Because those are all writers. And a single random comment doesn’t change it.

Did I miss anyone?

And scene

If you made it this far, you’re probably one of those readers who 100% their book. So, thank you for bearing with me until the end :)

If you found this article helpful (either as a writer or a lurker), consider following along as I figure out how to actually write that book.

And if there’s a writing topic you’d like me to write about, drop it in the comments.

Did I miss any other writers? (I’m sure I did! There are a lot of us).

Take care and keep writing. ✍️