What does it mean to be called a writer?
I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I attempted to publish a neighborhood magazine in the fourth grade. I wrote for the high school paper. I went to college thinking I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. I won a VFW essay writing contest in the fifth grade. I’ve always loved to write letters.
But I’ve always struggled with exactly what it means to be a writer. Can you officially be a writer just because you write? How many published books, poems, magazine articles or songs does it take to officially be a writer? What makes someone fit the definition of a writer? And who is the keeper of that definition, anyway? Merriam Webster? Anne Lamott? Mrs. Hanna, my eighth grade English teacher?
How is questioning whether I can be called a writer just because I write any different from questioning if I can I be called a musician because I play music? Or can I be labeled a gardener because I have a straggly herb garden? Can I be described as a cook because I make killer lasagna? Or do I qualify as a florist because I arrange flowers? Do these labels even matter? It’s not like I’m trying to pad my resume for a future job search.
This week, a friend’s younger brother, who has published several books, introduced me to someone as “a fellow writer.” I took that as a huge compliment coming from a “published author.” The fact that I later questioned his description of me as “a writer” got me to consider what it would take to think of myself that way.
I try to write every day - whether it’s a few scribbles in my journal notebook, some lines of a song idea jotted down on an envelope, a thank you note, hundreds of words for a freelance magazine article or rambling thoughts that end up in my OneNote files on my phone.
For the first 30 days of this retirement season, I had a discipline of a “Daily 200” – writing just 200 words day to reflect on what I was doing, learning, cleaning out, writing, observing. I posted these daily words on my blog, “Random Connect Points,” as a way to impose some writing discipline in my new world order.
Now, looking back on those posts from several months ago, I see that sharing my writing with others is truly a point of connection for me – regardless of whether the person reading is the recipient of my handwritten note or the reader of a large circulation magazine where my article appears.
Since 2013, I’ve used “Random Connect Points” as the depository for my writing projects. It’s really been more of a place to keep track of my writing than a place to share it publicly. Topics I’ve covered are as diverse as book reviews, word nerd tendencies, travel journals, aging, perfectionism, dog love, grace, “adulting” challenges, grammar pet peeves, bikes and music (lots about music).
I’ve come to realize that, for me, writing just boils down to forging connections. The biggest compliment someone can pay my writing is to tell me they felt a connection (whether it was to me, another person or something bigger than themselves) through my words. That’s where the name of my blog came from.
The description of “Random Connect Points” on the main blog page reads “I've always got words shooting out of the ends of my fingers, and this blog is my attempt to put some order to the random connect points that result when my fingers hit the keyboard. Like many things in life, the blog may be a little messy in places, so just ignore that like you would a pile of clothes on the floor.”
So today, I’m officially declaring myself a writer for this season of my life and inviting you connect with what I’m writing. “Random Connect Points” isn’t visually flashy or fancy, and you may occasionally find a few messes. But if you’d like to be notified when something new goes up, shoot me an email at rebahcampbell@gmail.com, and I’ll add you to my subscription list. Or just follow the blog’s Facebook or Instagram (@random_connect_points) to get the link to new posts.
Through the month of August, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite past posts on Facebook and Insta. Hope you’ll stop in, and I look forward to connecting!
How is questioning whether I can be called a writer just because I write any different from questioning if I can I be called a musician because I play music? Or can I be labeled a gardener because I have a straggly herb garden? Can I be described as a cook because I make killer lasagna? Or do I qualify as a florist because I arrange flowers? Do these labels even matter? It’s not like I’m trying to pad my resume for a future job search.
This week, a friend’s younger brother, who has published several books, introduced me to someone as “a fellow writer.” I took that as a huge compliment coming from a “published author.” The fact that I later questioned his description of me as “a writer” got me to consider what it would take to think of myself that way.
I try to write every day - whether it’s a few scribbles in my journal notebook, some lines of a song idea jotted down on an envelope, a thank you note, hundreds of words for a freelance magazine article or rambling thoughts that end up in my OneNote files on my phone.
Now, looking back on those posts from several months ago, I see that sharing my writing with others is truly a point of connection for me – regardless of whether the person reading is the recipient of my handwritten note or the reader of a large circulation magazine where my article appears.
Since 2013, I’ve used “Random Connect Points” as the depository for my writing projects. It’s really been more of a place to keep track of my writing than a place to share it publicly. Topics I’ve covered are as diverse as book reviews, word nerd tendencies, travel journals, aging, perfectionism, dog love, grace, “adulting” challenges, grammar pet peeves, bikes and music (lots about music).
I’ve come to realize that, for me, writing just boils down to forging connections. The biggest compliment someone can pay my writing is to tell me they felt a connection (whether it was to me, another person or something bigger than themselves) through my words. That’s where the name of my blog came from.
The description of “Random Connect Points” on the main blog page reads “I've always got words shooting out of the ends of my fingers, and this blog is my attempt to put some order to the random connect points that result when my fingers hit the keyboard. Like many things in life, the blog may be a little messy in places, so just ignore that like you would a pile of clothes on the floor.”
So today, I’m officially declaring myself a writer for this season of my life and inviting you connect with what I’m writing. “Random Connect Points” isn’t visually flashy or fancy, and you may occasionally find a few messes. But if you’d like to be notified when something new goes up, shoot me an email at rebahcampbell@gmail.com, and I’ll add you to my subscription list. Or just follow the blog’s Facebook or Instagram (@random_connect_points) to get the link to new posts.
Through the month of August, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite past posts on Facebook and Insta. Hope you’ll stop in, and I look forward to connecting!
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