Monday, July 13, 2009

Lazy Writer Revealed

I decided to repost bits and pieces of some of my older stuff this week for a couple of reasons. First of all, I don't have as much time as normal because my son is playing in the Little League World Series, and I will be away from home a good part of the week. Second, those old posts have been lonely for quite some time. You see, I posted them before I had any of you lovely followers.
Speaking of being lonely, our friend Mooch could use some attention. Click on the penguin in the sidebar to give him some.
Several weeks ago, I discussed why I chose the name Lazy Writer for blogging. Here's what I had to say:
So I've been asked (not really, but I thought someone might be wondering) why I chose "Lazy Writer" as my handle. Well, the writer part is obvious, and the lazy part is perhaps misleading. I do not mean to imply that I'm lazy when it comes to my writing. In fact, the exact opposite is true. I spend so much time writing that I tend to be lazy when it comes to other areas of my life--cooking, cleaning, running errands, etc. Thus, Lazy Writer was born.
Speaking of calling myself a writer, I recently read a post on Literary Agent, Nathan Bransford's blog. He posed a question about whether or not a person should call themselves a writer if they have never been published. His take on it was that a person who enjoys writing shouldn't define themselves as a writer any more than a person who enjoys collecting stamps should define themselves as a stamp collector.
Here's my opinion: I have never been paid for being a wife and mother, and I never will be (this might account for my laziness in these areas), but I still call myself a wife and mother. Just because I have never been paid for my writing, doesn't mean it isn't a defining part of who I am. And as far as being paid goes, it's not my main objective. Sure, it would be nice if my writing came with a paycheck, but that's not why I do it. I love my husband; I love my kids; and I love writing. Being paid for what I love would just be an added bonus. If I can call myself a wife, and I can call myself a mother, why can't I call myself a writer?
FYI--if you haven't read Nathan's blog, you should. He has great tips for those of us who are still brave enough to call ourselves writers despite the fact that we have never been published.
Click here to check out his blog. It's well worth your time.

15 comments:

Katie Salidas said...

LoL. I totally get the Lazy part. I have been lazy too in my household chores and what not. It feels like a juggling act some times; work, family, kids, life, chores, and writing.

Deb said...

Good arguement! All together now--we are writers!

Danyelle L. said...

Great post. For me, it's more of a matter of the difference between author and writer. In my world, an author is published, a writer isn't, but they both write books. :D Good to know ya better. :D

Heather Sunseri said...

I also agree with the lazy part (thinking of myself). I've been lazy with everything lately except writing. I've tried to continue to be a decent mother and wife too, but the house has definitely been neglected.

By the way, I think I have a pair of shoes just like that.

Lillian Robinson said...

The way I remember it, it was an argument between writer and author, as Danyelle said. You are a writer. Most people consider an author someone that has been published. I think you're a good writer too!

I guess your handle fits me too. Writing gets in the way of a lot of boring chores!

Susan R. Mills said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jody Hedlund said...

Thanks for clarifying the Lazy part of your description! I was wondering what that meant! And I really like what you said about not being paid for being a wife and mother but still being able to call ourselves that. That's so true of writers too!

Anonymous said...

Good explanation of the name. I'm the lazy type of writer that's just plain lazy. No excuse for me at all.

Good luck to your son in the Little League World Series. I live pretty close to Williamsport, but have never seen a LLWS game in person.

Rae said...

Excellent post. You are definitely a writer and I like your style of writing. It has a nice flow and it is easy to read. Great job!!

Cindy R. Wilson said...

It's great to learn more about you. I was wondering about that name. I like your explanation about being a writer. Yeah, it would be great to be paid but we still do it regardless, right? That's one of the great things about doing what you love.

Susan R. Mills said...

You guys are all great! It seems we all struggle with balancing writing with our other obligations, and it's so nice to know I'm not the only one. And yes, the word "author" makes you think published, and the word "writer" is a little more flexible.

Thanks for all your positive comments on my writing. I wasn't fishing for compliments. Really, I wasn't, but I greatly appreciate all of them!

Here, here, Strange Fiction! We are all writers! And we should be proud!

AiringMyLaundry said...

Great post.

I also call myself a writer. Of course then people are all, "What do you write?" and I feel a little silly saying, "Oh..well, just a blog at the moment.."

Patti said...

Great analogy. I loved it although I wish I did get paid for being a mom because then I would be rich!!!

Mrs. Major said...

I've struggled with this question as well. My decision was to call myself a writer because I actually do write. But, I won't call myself an author until I'm published.

Don't feel bad about not dusting. Writing is way more fun and fullfilling!

B.J. Anderson said...

Haha, I love Nathan's blog! And I think it's fine to call yourself a writer. I figure when you get published, then you can call yourself an author. Kind of like graduating, right? :D Great post!!