I have always wanted to be  Writer. Ok! maybe not always. There was a time – long gone by – when I wanted to be a private detective; reading all those Hardy Boys books was bound to have some effect on a young and impressionable mind.

But, off late, the desire to be a writer has burnt strong in my heart. So, I was wondering, what the definition of a  writer is. Here is what the Free dictionary has to say :

“One who writes, especially as an occupation.”

That is a very basic definition, but even in this very basic definition, we have a contradiction.

I blog, therefore, I do write albeit every now and then. But, it is not my occupation, nor is my writing a source of my bread and butter. So am I a writer?

I don’t know.

Does blogging give a person the right to call himself a writer. Or, is there some other condition that a person must fulfill before he earns the tag of a writer. Maybe, having a published work is that condition. But with online publishing becoming so easy (a blog could be called an online publication), we enter into another grey zone.

So, let me ask you : What is your definition of a writer?