I don’t have a definite answer for that one.

But here is my question for you today: If a writer doesn’t write, is he/she still a writer?

As a writing coach I must hear every excuse in the book from people who SAY they are writers, yet they just never seem to find time or have the energy or enthusiasm to write.

What gives?

If these same people wanted to become professional tennis players for example, and make a living playing tennis, if you asked them, “Played any tennis lately?” could you expect them to say, “Oh, no. I just don’t have the time. One of these days I’m going to start playing, though. And the first thing I’ll do is enter a big tournament!”

If they said that you’d think they were nuts!

How could they expect to enter a tournament when they hadn’t spent months, even years, practicing, getting better and better at playing?

Yet, how many writers don’t write but have big plans to someday write a novel.

Yep. Their first work will be a novel - not some dinky little short story or an article. They will START with a novel.

But, right now - they don’t write.

So - are they writers?

My answer to that is - ONLY if we can HEAR the computer keys tapping as they type out their story!

Or, ONLY if we can HEAR the pen as they scribble words down on paper.

What do you think?