There is a term that I seen bandied around a lot. I see it in bios for various writers. I see it in promotional materials for writing workshops and courses. I even see it in emails from agents, publishers and editors. And every time that I see it, or hear it, I want to growl. The term that irks me to no end: aspiring writer.
I know it might be silly to have such a negative reaction to what might seem like an innocent term, but how does one actually go about the action of aspiring to be a writer? You can aspire to see your writing in print (or in eBook format if that strikes your fancy). You can aspire to quit your day job to become a full-time writer. You can even aspire to get more hours in the day to dedicate to your writing. But aspire to be a writer?
A writer is one who writes.
My problem with this term comes down to the definition of writer. According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, a writer is one that writes. There is no other meaning. (Personally, I would have said a writer is one who writes, but that's the editor in me. Instead, we're quoting here, so we use what is actually in the text.)
That definition of writer couldn't be any simpler. If you go about the motions of writing, then you are a writer. You may be a new writer, just starting on your journey and discovering your voice. You might be an established writer, yet still struggling to have your voice heard. You could be a published writer, with countless publication credits to your name. At the end of the day, regardless what stage of your writing career you're at, if you write, then you're a writer.
The only people who could feel justified in calling themselves aspiring writer are the ones who haven't got the guts to actually put their thoughts to paper. And you know what, those people are unlikely to call themselves aspiring writer in the first place.
However, some people are stubborn and refuse to accept that because they write that they are writers.
The Merriam-Webster definition of the word doesn't seem to be enough for some people.
I have had this argument with many people over the years, mainly because I hate the term that much, and I stand by the dictionary definition of the word, but for some people, Merriam-Webster isn't enough.
In one of my Facebook discussion groups, someone tried to convince me that the term writer was reserved for those who get paid to write, saying that it was a term that applied to people who wanted to make a career out of writing, restricting the noun to a professional term.
You have no idea how much this idea makes my skin crawl. Because of how much stock I put in the dictionary definition, let's look at the Oxford English Dictionary in the full crazy-huge version, because there is a full page dedicated to the definition of writer. (I'm not joking. I own the compact edition—the full 20-volume set printed in microfiche size in one monster of a book.) I've done the best I can to scan in the pages (struggling in a big way and the arms burning to hold the book up on a small scanning bed), but I'm not sure how legible the print is in the scan.
Excuse me for a moment while I find my magnifying glass...
The definition from the Oxford English Dictionary
Scan of the pages containing the definition of writer in the Oxford English Dictionary. It starts on the middle column of the middle page shown in this image and continues until half-way down the first column on the page on the right, all top row. (Have you found the magnifying glass yet?)
So... The first definition of writer in the Oxford English Dictionary, and probably the most important definition, is as follows:
A person who can write; one who practises or performs writing; occas., one who writes in a specific manner.
Where in that definition is there any mention of being paid? Perhaps, there is another definition that I'm overlooking. The second definition is as follows:
One whose business or occupation consists of writing; a functionary, officer, etc., who performs clerical or secretarial duties; a scribe, clerk or law-writer.
Okay, looking at that definition, I'm willing to concede that the term writer might be a professional term, however, is there sufficient grounds to limit it as such? What about the third definition in the Oxford English Dictionary?
One who writes, compiles, or produces a literary composition; the composer of a book or treatise; a literary man or author.
That particular definition goes on to say that a writer is one who is writing.
People, this is exactly the definition that I've been fighting to get through people's thick heads. We take the time, effort, and energy to write something of literary value. We are writing. Hence, we ARE writers.
Please, I beg you, everyone. Stop thinking of yourselves as a person who is aspiring to write. If you are going through the motions of writing, then you are a writer. There is absolutely no aspiring about it.
If you are desperate to use the word aspiring, then try one of the following:
- writer aspiring to find more time to write,
- writer aspiring to finished that damned novel,
- writer aspiring to be published,
- or (my favorite) writer aspiring to have their writing read.
Sure, if you really want to, you could use aspiring author, but writer sounds much more positive to me.
No doubt someone will poke holes in my thoughts and reasoning, throwing that second definition from the Oxford English Dictionary at me. To all those nay-sayers, I have one response:
RASPBERRIES!
