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Posts Tagged ‘Scrivere’

Scrivere: To Write

Posted in Expat in Italy, Italy, Living abroad, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Travel, tagged , , , , , , , on March 12, 2012| 10 Comments »

writ·er [rahy-ter] noun. a person engaged in writing

The words scribbler, dabbler, pencil pusher and hack all come to mind as a description of the activity in which I am now engaged.  But the term “writer” – that particular word sticks in my throat. For me the title has always been reserved for those who actually deserve it, such as the likes of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Capote, Irving and Bradbury. 

So what makes someone a “real” writer?  Are you a writer when you are paid to write?  If so, how much money buys you this status?  Is a writer someone who gets published?  Today’s publishing landscape has changed to include self-published websites, bloggers, contributors, ghostwriters, editors, etc.  Which of these capacities qualifies you as a writer and which do not? How many people in the world must agree that you are a writer in order for you to call yourself one?  Do people fill out a ballot designating you as such?  What is the litmus test one must pass to become a member of this elite club?  

Even if I had answers to the above questions perhaps they might not amount to a hill of beans?  Could it be that the name you give yourself isn’t really that important? Perhaps it isn’t what you say you do that matters, but that what you do brings about fulfillment.  Every day I sit down at my computer and put words onto a page.  Maybe that’s all I really need to know.  I write.

by Toni DeBella

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