For The Love Of Writing

‘The Bitter Quill’ was a sometime irreverent, often stupid in a good sort of way monthly column about newish writers and their struggles, in the currently on hiatus ‘Inkwell Newswatch’ e-zine on-line. I loved writing ‘The Bitter Quill’ but hated feeling like I had to write ‘how to’ articles all the time (I didn’t always, regardless).

This blog aspires to pick up where I left off, but with less-to-none ‘how to’ crap, and lot more ‘this is the reality us not so established writers live in.’ Nothing fancy, and nothing that makes anyone feel like writers are snobs, or that the writing business is out of reach. Because elitists make every writer feel lonely, and though lonely can jump-start a bout of good writing, it still feels shitty.

When you love writing so much it’s all you ever want to do, doing it successfully without sinking into a pit of despair isn’t always easy. And the writing world itself isn’t always pretty. Especially if you’re not very traditional (whatever that means). Though the BQ is more or less a journey/journal, it is for every writer. From one struggling writer to another, you can find the truth here.

So who gets to call him or herself a writer? Really, I’m not sure. I’ve written about it before, concluding if you write you are a writer, with a lot more confidence than I actually feel.

Not so long ago, a friend suggested that there’s a difference between being a writer and an author, but conceded that writer means different things to different people. At the time it sounded semantic, but I think he was trying to say that the difference between a ‘writer’ and ‘author’ is that authors are published. To that I say, whatever. If publishing is the litmus, then do published writers have to take home a paycheck to jump the pond? And where does the piece have to make its appearance?

I haven’t figured it out and it’s just one of many topics to blog about in the future. But if you think you’re a writer, then run with it. Cogito, ergo sum. So I must be.