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I'm curious how people view themselves as 'writers'. Personally, I will not call myself a writer. I could get published, get famous, be the next Great Author, or wind up with my book on everyone's shelf like J.K. Rowling... and I probably still won't call myself a writer. Maybe this is because of my schooling or exposure to other writers. It was like all the creative writing majors were striving to fit the same mold so they'd be taken seriously by their peers. I thought it was very silly. And I do not like the connotation of the word - to me, it makes me think of a profession. I am a programmer. I take my job very seriously because if I screw up it could have real world consequences. I spend eight hours a day in front of a computer or in meetings being serious and putting a lot of thought into my job. The last thing I want to do is apply that same attitude towards my writing. Oh sure, I can put up a professional front and write query letters and all that malarky. But inside I want to write and enjoy what I write for no other reason than I, personally, want to. I'm not a writer that considers what others will think when they read this, or reads the right blogs, or even takes her craft very seriously. If I want to write about vampires going zombie hunting than I will! And maybe I'll get lucky and someone else will like it. So when I'm talking about what I do in my free time I never say I'm a writer. I say I write. For me, being a writer is far too serious a thing. And if this keeps me from ever getting published... I'm okay with that. Why ruin my hobby by trying to be something I'm not?

I don't think being a writer is a bad thing. It's just for me, it brings up associations I want to avoid.

So how do you think about yourself and your writing? How do you introduce it to others? How come?

I would like to say I'm a typer(not a writer because that would require writing, and at the this current moment I do more typing that actual writing), though I preferably call myself a writer.

I label myself as that because, I believe a writer is a person who writes, but is not published, an author is published, not a writer.

I guess, I've been writing since I could write(I remember trying to write a fanfiction of me and my friend going to hogwarts when I was like 5, I didn't even know it was fanfiction then....). It was after my dad read me the second Harry Potter book as a bed time story

The way I introduce people to writing is by showing them stuff I've written or they ask what I'm writing.

I don't know how I actually got introduced to it(I think I just started, not sure though)

At the moment, I'm a nursing assistant on a mental health ward but I see myself primarily as a writer (I just don't get paid to do it, yet).

I have always loved books and part of me kicks myself daily for not diving straight into that scene with college or uni courses in editing, journalism, publishing or marketing (darn my brain for deciding to be "sensible").

The good thing is, the route I did take meant that I have lots of life experience which I can use in my writing. I can always do courses, it's just harder to fit in.

I ultimately want to apply the knowledge I gain into getting new authors into publishing, whether that be with a publishing house that I intend to own and run, or via workshops and groups... it's a little way off yet but it's a goal I have.

So to answer your question: I see myself as a writer who works elsewhere to pay the bills.

I'm a writer. It's one of many things I do. I also illustrate, edit, design websites, and work as an administrative assistant. I've been paid for all but writing, but they're not what I am; I can see myself being an illustrator and writer for the rest of my life, but probably not the others.

I work at it. I research it. I have things out under consideration at literary magazines, and work on a literary magazine myself to get experience in the field. I read about the industry. I go to conferences. I take this seriously, because it's what I want to do.

@KaNugget: you've figured out what some take years to learn - to write professionally you have to treat it as a job to get work done. It may still have to be worked around many other commitments until you start to get paid regularly from writing, but you still need to take it seriously. biggrin

I remember seeing a topic on this except it was Authors in WF.

But yes, I classify myself as a writer also an artist and once I finally get the hang of doing simple graphic designing, then I'd say I'm a graphic designer or something like that. But mostly, yes I am a writer.