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What is a Writer?

It is common knowledge that almost everyone trying to be a productive member of

modern society can write. From essays to social media posts, writing is something that is widely

usable in day to day life. Even though these tasks consummate the act of writing, the people who

partake in writing rarely view themselves as a ‘writer’. A quick Google search proves the official

definition of the word ‘writer’ is “a person who has written a particular text”. If this were the

case, however, then why doesn’t everyone consider themselves writers? The answer, I believe,

lies in the connotation and identity that is attached to the word itself.

All writing is linked to a person’s identity. The book, Naming What We Know, specifies

that a person’s ideology is based on his or her identity, which in turn is reflected in writing. In

fact, the more people write, the more it changes; the act of trying to conform to different

platforms, prompts and points of view actively shapes how the writer goes about looking at

things. Not only is a person’s writing linked to their ideologies and experiences, but if they so

choose they can also identify themselves as a writer. It is impossible to write something sincerely

without the writing forming an alternate version of oneself appearing on the page. This is

precisely why the word is so hard to define on an ideological level because even though not

everyone may view themselves as a writer, they have to at least create the persona of one when

they write anything of thought.

There are many different modes and platforms on which one can write, meaning that

there is not just one version of what a writer is or who they can be. As detailed in the book of

published essays, Bad Ideas, a person does not need to be another prodigy like Shakespeare or

have any credentials, “writing just...happens” (53). Basically, good writing is a process; Romeo

and Juliet was not written overnight. This is why everyone can be a writer, because it is a
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collaborative process that is worked up to. A person can go into it with very little skill, and by

the end (after revision and collaboration), become what they assumed they were not.

The main difference between people who consider themselves as writers and people who

do not is the way they feel about writing. When ordinary people think of the word ‘writer’ in

relation to themselves, many think otherwise because stereotypically, a writer is someone who is

published, someone who writes as a hobby, someone who enjoys writing. A study conducted by

social theorist, Bandura, provided evidence for a social cognitive theory showing that the way a

person views their own efficiency in writing affects every aspect of it. This idea of ‘self-

efficiency’ is what Frank Pajares, Ph.D explores in his essay, Self-efficacy Beliefs, Motivation,

and Achievement in Writing. Through careful analysis of Bandura’s study, he claims that the

reason people do not view themselves as writers is because of the low expectations people put on

themselves. He even goes as far as to say, “Teachers and schools are responsible for helping

students develop their competence and confidence as students progress through school” (Pajares

153), placing people’s lack of writing confidence as the fault of poor teaching techniques. This

breakthrough means that maybe, if teaching writing placed more emphasis on individual growth

instead of rubric criteria, more people might think of themselves as writers and not be so quick to

assume otherwise.

This is an issue that can hinder further learning of what it means to be a writer after

mandatory education is finished. As Linda Adler-Kassner states in her article, “Just Writing,

Basically: Basic Writers on Basic Writing”, the majority of people fall under the category of

“basic writers”. These are people who have been introduced to writing at its most basic level

(school papers) which, though typically are mostly college freshmen, can also be people who do

not or have not expanded on their knowledge of writing past a high school level. Interestingly
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enough, the case studies within this article showed that although these people could write, and

knew they were going to have to write papers of all different sorts in college, none of them

thought of themselves as ‘real’ writers because either they were not skilled enough, or did not

like it. One case study student said, “‘I'm only doing it 'cause I have to, and I have to get a good

grade on it’” (Adler-Kassner 73). There is a common misconception that writing and academics

are two separate things. While it is true that outside of school there are no relevant need for

annotated bibliographies or a five-paragraph essay, many professions require some sort of

writing to further the depth of the field.

According to Peter Elbow, an English Professor at the University of Massachusetts, the

reason we often do not associate academic writing with being a writer is because the ultimate

goals of each conflict one another. He explains how he is “troubled by a sense that they conflict

with each other—that progress toward one could undermine progress toward the other” (Elbow

73). This is because the way that most classes place more value on meeting the expectations of

the teacher instead of allowing for personal creative growth in writing so grading is easier.

Elbow goes onto explain how the key problem with this is because of the way teachers set up

academic curriculum. A lot of people have this idea that in academia you must put ‘key texts’ on

a pedestal, which causes a huge gap between learning to write and achieving the writing goal: to

do justice to these types of texts. Elbow discerns that this should not the case, and that if we

“want them to see themselves as writers, we should primarily publish and read their own”

(Elbow 73). The key idea that Elbow is getting at here is that if we want to foster student’s own

identities of writing, we have to use their own writing to teach the course. Elbow does not

entirely diminish the idea of using key texts, but rather suggests to use them as tools to spark

discussions and ideas in the students’ own writing. When implementing this strategy, teachers
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are able to teach academic standards, while still allowing students to develop their own writing

identity. This lessens the gap between “the greats” and students own writing, which therefore

helps them see themselves as academics and writers.

To anyone who is aspiring to be a future teacher, tutor or writing mentor, the fact that this

idea of a writer is so warped in practice is troubling. Arguably one of the most important parts

about teaching and tutoring is helping the student write to his or her full potential. When students

attach a bad connotation to writing, they do not perform as well because it is out of their realm of

interest. As a tutor, one of our jobs is to build the confidence of each tutee in his or her writing

ability. We can do this by getting rid of the stereotype and point out that they are more than

qualified to become skilled writers in the realm of their interests. Kim Jackson, a Professor at

Chico State University, is a big advocate for cross-platform literacies. In one of her recent

articles she states, “the commonplace belief, both in the public perception and in education, is

that writing is a skill that is learned once, put in a person’s pocket, and taken out when there is a

need “to write.” (Jaxon). The way to break the stereotype of what it means to be a writer is to

incorporate all the various forms of writing out there: social media, blogs, essays, texting, and so

much more. In this way, we can revamp what qualifies as writing, and by association, help others

see that they, too, can be considered writers.

Throughout my research, it has become apparent that the answer to “what is a writer”,

has yet to be answered. It seems that the idea of “who is a writer” is an identity that is built early

on in schooling, and those experiences are the things that shape a person’s view of their own

identities and writing permanently. The topic is widely controversial, surprisingly, but topics are

beginning to emerge about broadening the spectrum of what does and does not qualify as
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writing. Until there is a constant around what it means to be a writer, the question will remain

unanswered.
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Works Cited

Adler-Kassner, Linda. “Just Writing, Basically: Basic Writers on Basic Writing.” Journal of
Basic Writing, vol. 18, no. 2, 1999, pp. 69–90.
Cole, Joni B. “Defining a Writer.” The Writer, The Writer, 2 Aug. 2017,
www.writermag.com/2017/08/02/defining-a-writer/.
Elbow, Peter. “Being a Writer vs. Being an Academic: A Conflict in Goals.” College
Composition and Communication, vol. 46, no. 1, 1995, pp. 72–83. JSTOR, JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/358871.
Jaxon, Kim. “Connecting Making, Designing and Composing.” DML Central, 1 Feb. 2018,
www.dmlcentral.net/connecting-making-designing-composing/
Kumar, Manisha. “Difference Between.” Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects,
Difference Between, 25 Sept. 2009, www.differencebetween.net/business/difference-
between-author-and-writer/.
Pajares, Frank. "Self-efficacy beliefs, motivation, and achievement in writing: A review of the
literature." Reading & Writing Quarterly 19.2 (2003): 139-158.