Are we writing now?

Is blogging writing?

Is a blogger a writer?

What does it mean to be a “writer”?

Do you have to be paid money to be considered a real writer?

I’ve read a few posts on different blogs recently that either implied or stated outright that writing a blog was not writing. One blogger is giving up on being a writer.  Although she has blogged for some time, has a popular blog which is fun to read, she stated that she “will never be a writer.”

She’s given up on being a writer.

I’m confused.

I’ve been blogging for about a year and a half now. I read other people’s blogs. Lots of them.  Some of the bloggers are being paid, as is possible on the Blogger site. Many others are not paid, as is the policy for WordPress. Some bloggers maintain their own independent site. There are blogs which are sponsored by newspapers, news agencies, or businesses-I assume many of those bloggers receive a salary or payment of some kind for their blogs.

I thought all of the people with those blogs were writing. Many of them are producing articles and essays on a daily basis.

Of course, some people have more refined writing skills than others. Some bloggers are better at spellcheck than others. There are some (and I count myself as being one of them) whose grammatical skills are, shall we say, hit and miss.

But I thought they were all writing.

When I decided to start a blog, one of my main reasons for doing so was to have an outlet for my desire to write. I enjoy reading. I like to try to write. I have never received any payment for writing, other than the self-satisfaction when I feel that I did a particularly good job on a piece of writing.

Now, I’ll admit that it would be fun to actually be paid for something I have written. In fact, I submitted one essay to a magazine on the suggestion of a writing teacher. It was summarily rejected. I am also working on a project which I also may submit someday. But that doesn’t matter. I just enjoy putting it together.

Almost every “expert” who is asked will tell you that print media is a dying business. If that is the case, it would seem to me that the best place for a writer right now is the internet. Perhaps on a blog.

For no matter what anyone says, we bloggers truly are writing.

We are writers.

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