by Elton Gahr

Created on: June 12, 2009

Just like any group there is a tendency for writers to set standards, to tell people what they have to do to become a real writer. From the absurd that you aren't a real writer until you've published your third book to the ideas that you need to have written a million words, but the truth is that being a writer isn't difficult. The only real requirement is that you write.

This isn't always as simple as it seems. There are so many people who think about writing, who want to write but never seem to get around to it. They can't seem to find the time and when they do they simply don't have the ideas, or they watch the blank screen. If you want to call yourself a writer you need to set aside time to write and set some reasonable goals.

Once you have started there is the problem of finishing. It is generally accepted that nine out of ten people who start a writing project don't finish. There is something special about finishing a project even if it isn't exactly what you imagined when you began. Real writers have to finish something eventually.

After that it is worth understanding that writing is rewriting. This doesn't mean if you only write a first draft you aren't a writer but if you begin to edit you're most likely going to find that you work is vastly improved. Spend some time looking over what you have done. Learn to understand where your mistakes are and you'll feel more like a writer.

Publishing work isn't a requirement to being a writer. If all you ever do is write for yourself that is just fine, but there is something about the validation of having your work put in print by someone else that makes you feel more like a real writer. So once you have finished begin to send your work out. Again this sounds simple but nine out of ten people who write don't submit their work.

Rejection isn't fun but submitting once probably isn't going to be enough. If you want to get published you're going to need to resubmit. This is something we know but yet 9 out of 10 people stop after receiving a rejection letter. Writers who want to be published must learn to live with rejection, and while it's not fun, knowing that there is something somewhere submitted makes you feel more like a real writer.

Beyond simply putting down words on paper there is nothing that will make you more of a writer, but there are things that will make you feel more like a writer, but even if all you do is write in a diary every day and never make a cent don't feel like you need to shy away from the term. If you write you are a writer.

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