What Makes You a Writer?

Contributed by: Weegee Sachtjen

What makes you a writer?  

Some feel you aren’t a writer until you are paid for your craft. Others feel it comes down to the end result of being published. 

The truth of it is, writing is not a paycheck or a title. It’s an obsession.

You’re a writer because you feel a compulsion to explore the world around you. You’re a writer because you feel the overwhelming need to share the way your best friend laughs when she is uncomfortable, the way your neighbour has to check the front door four times before leaving for work or that dark side buried in the heart of all of us. 

You’re a writer because you obsess over dialogue while walking the dog. You mentally rephrase sentences to make them concise, clear and fierce. You are a writer because you can recreate any memory into a short story in vivid detail.

You’re a writer because it is how you connect. You feel the need to output your viewpoint as a way of processing the world around you. You write to explain the “whys” of the world. You write to say “me too” to others who may be fighting the same struggle.

Lastly, you’re a writer because you can’t stop. You may have every reason to throw in the towel. You could have a stack of rejection letters and a negative bank account but you will still be driven to continue to write. 

You’re a writer not because you write. It’s because you HAVE to write.

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