So for the last part of week one, which I admit has taken me longer than a week, I need to answer some questions. I would like to hear your answers to the questions posed too, so please leave a comment.
Here goes:
What comes to mind when you think writer?
Tough one. I think it has to be books, and someone who writes them.
When did you first call yourself a writer? If you haven’t yet identified as a writer, why not?
Even tougher. I don’t fully identify as a writer. Over the past couple of weeks I have been asked if I work, and I have said no. I don’t earn from my writing yet, so I guess it is strictly true. But I will one day. So I don’t fully identify as a writer, because I have yet to be paid for it.
To what extent do others view you as a writer? How supportive are they of your writing identity? How does outside support – or lack of it – affect your writing identity?
It is half past eight in the evening as I type this. The kids are in bed and the future husband is in the other room. He knows what I am doing. He doesn’t question it. He fully supports my role as writer. Only a few other people who aren’t writers themselves know about my writing. They are generally supportive. The rest are writers, and I find them on the whole incredibly supportive and I like to think that one particular writer in particular will become a good friend very soon! Writing is my secret from the world. If I get asked what I do with my free time now my daughter is at nursery, I just smile and tell them not to worry, I’m not bored. Maybe one day I will come out of the writing closet, but until then it is my secret. It doesn’t affect my writing identity, as I make sure I do something writing related every day.
Does the kind of writing you produce affect your ability to identify as a writer? Do you feel you need to transition to a more substantial project or different subject matter?
No, not really. The fact that I have yet to earn money from it affects that ability, but if I keep turning up day in, day out, a write I will be!
Why do you write? What motivates you? How does that influence your identity as a writer?
I write because I need to. I need to figure things out, and understand people, and get to know why they behave the way they do. So I write about them. What motivates me is fear. Fear of never being a successful writer! I think all it does is keep me writing, which means I start to accept I am a writer. And the more I write and submit, the greater the chance of me being paid, and then I can call myself a real writer!
Do you distinguish a difference between an author and a writer? If so, explain the difference and how your identity is affected by those differences.
I think a writer writes features for magazines, and an author writes books. I never know which hat to wear, or if one or the other is the correct generic term. I feel fraudulent to call myself an author when I haven’t got a book out, but I can call myself a writer because I do write.
So that is it for week one! The next week, is called Arrange, and i look forward to reading and learning. If you want to take the writing journey that I am on, you can buy the book ‘On Being A Writer’ here.
Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below. Until next time!
ingrid senger-perkins 