Are you a writer?

Apr 7, 2014 | Better Writing

There are lots of definitions of “writer.” Which one fits you?

The simplest definition of “writer.”

Here’s the simplest definition of “writer” that I’ve heard. A writer is someone who writes. That’s good, but too simple to be helpful.

What most people mean by “writer.”

Ask most people what a writer is and they’ll probably describe a fiction writer who writes for a living. That’s a good definition, but it’s not the whole story. It sure doesn’t describe most of the people I work with or most of the people who read this blog.

How you’re probably different.

If you read this blog you probably don’t write for a living. Most of my blog readers are businesspeople.

And you probably don’t write much, if any, fiction. You write memoranda and reports. Maybe you write blog posts or want to write a business book.

Writing well can give you the edge in business and in life. But if you want that to happen, you must go beyond those basic definitions.

Finish your work.

You have to finish your work. An idea or concept or explanation that never makes it out of your head can never make a difference in the world. The bonus is that writing about your ideas will help you clarify and sharpen them.

Share your work.

Your ideas won’t make a difference unless you share them. Write that blog post. Publish that book. Put your ideas together in a simple PDF and pass it around.

If you want the writing edge you have to finish your work and share it with others.