Author, Author! At what point is it appropriate to declare oneself a writer? Does it require a degree in journalism or creative writing? Publication of anything, anywhere? A book? Several books? When, exactly, can one be considered a writer?
You might expect the members of a writers’ group to confidently declare themselves writers, but no. Ask the question and many will give a self-deprecating wave of a hand and confess they are just starting, or have been working on the same piece for years, or haven’t been published. They don’t consider themselves writers.
Fifteen years ago, I had the audacity to order business cards. Pamela McDowell, Writer. Clear, concise, with an elegant, yet legible font. My new colleagues thought I was optimistic. And I was. But I was determined, too. I had made my declaration in black and white and now I had to prove it.
Progress was slow at first and I must admit that I didn’t call myself a writer out loud until I was pursuing the magazine market full time. And I didn’t declare it with confidence until I was well-established as a freelancer for the Calgary Herald, when the editors called me almost as much as I call them with ideas.
The next step will be to declare myself a writer on my income tax form. Not just “Other” any more. I will be a “Writer” in the tax man’s eyes. Does this make it official?
