What is a writer? Merriam-Webster defines a writer as “one that writes.” I find this description inadequate. I feel this way because anyone can scribble on a piece of paper. The writing has to have meaning to someone else besides the writer. So my definition is: A writer is someone who conveys ideas in written language. Every writer is different. They differentiate themselves by their wording, subject matter, and their own experiences. To describe myself as a writer, I have to include my high school, where I had to write four themes per semester. Writing these long papers so often gave me my preferred method of writing in long bursts without any preparation. As a consequence, a lot of my writing is just the ideas passing through my head at the moment that I add to later on when I can rearrange my writing and make better points. Another effect is that I will often stop writing and go back to a previous section and edit it because I got a new idea. However, this method of going “two steps forward, one step back” in my writing is about as eccentric as I get when writing my papers. I do not have any personal rituals when writing such as James Joyce’s writing with crayons in a white coat or Truman Capote and his habit of writing lying down and drinking. Although, if writing was my main occupation, I too would probably develop eccentricities.
Sources
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/writer
https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/the-art-of-being-crazy-thoughts-on-eccentricities-being-a-writer