When I first started taking my own writing seriously, I had difficulty knowing what to say when people asked what I do for a living. Well, first of all, I was quite ill at the time when I made this major transition in my life; and, second, it is really hard to earn a living writing or in any creative endeavor. Just like the acting business, not everyone finds a way to make it substantial enough to generate a livable income on their own. I am going for it, though.
First off, what was I doing before I embarked on the writing journey? My degree is in archaeology with an emphasis on lithics analysis. (What the heck is that?) That means I dug up and studied dead people's garbage, particularly stone tools and their remnants. Not dinosaurs. People. Dinosaurs are paleontology.
However, I was not very successful at it for two reasons. One, I had little kids at home. I had to be gone for weeks, sometimes months at a time. It was too hard on my kids. Second, after they grew up enough and I was ready to jump back in, I got sick. I was diagnosed with Lupus which left it impossible for me to go out in the sun to do the physical labor.
I worked for years to get my degree. Archaeology was the love of my life. I had to let it go.
Plus, Lupus kept, and is still keeping, me from traditional work. Every time I have attempted to hold down a job, I've gotten very sick. Lupus causes extreme exhaustion. With writing, I have complete control over my own hours. And, I can write lying down when necessary.
Back to my original question. So, what am I? A writer? A novelist? An author? A blogger? What? All of the above.
Looking at the definitions, I am all of them. First of all, anyone who writes anything is a writer. It doesn't matter what it is. It can be something as basic as a personal journal. That is writing. If you do that, you are a writer. It includes writing books, articles, essays, copywrite, letters, reviews, etc. Guess what? You are a writer too.
I am an author. An author is anyone who writes a book for publication. A novel, a textbook, a how-to book, poetry, a biography, an autobiography, etc. Are you an author? I am.
A poet writes poetry. Are you a poet? I am. I rarely let anyone see my poetry. I have only published one publicly on The Mighty website on Lupus. Are you a poet? I am.
A novelist is exactly what it says. A novelist writes novels. Are you a novelist? I am.
A painter paints. Are you a painter? I am.
I sculptor sculpts. Are you a sculptor? I am not.
A performance artist performs art. It can be a dancer, a mime, a singer, an actor, etc. Are you a performance artist? I was. I am not.
This list can go on and on and on. Here is the basic question that trumps them all.
Are you a creative? Do you create anything at all? Before you say no, consider. If you work a job where you have to solve problems where the solution is not easily laid out for you and in fact requires some original thinking on your part, you are a creative. All of us are creatives at some level. Some simply practice it more than others, that's all.
At first, I had a hard time labeling myself as a novelist. I felt the need for someone else to give me the title based on some level of success attributed to me by an outside force. Turns out, that was the wrong thinking. I decide who and what I am. No one else gets that privilege. I only needed to get a novel published, and I could call myself a novelist.
I am a novelist, writer, author, blogger, vlogger, painter, artist, creative, poet, mother, grandmother, human being, child of God, etc., etc., etc. The labels are up to me.
What are you?
If you have a question or comment, send me an email at humorinchaos@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading!
Sarah
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