What Makes a Writer? A Change in Perspective

The other day, I was watching Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (a classic, if you haven’t seen it) with my daughter, and one quote stood out to me.

Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) is trying to convince Rita Watson (Lauryn Hill) to join the choir. She says:

"If you wake up in the morning and you can't think about anything but singing, then you should be a singer, girl."

And it got me thinking about writing.What does it actually mean to be a writer?

A lot of people say they’re writers, but don’t write.

A lot of people write, but say they’re not writers.

Some humblebrag. Some downplay it. Some never tell a soul.

So what defines it?

I’ve spent years waking up with stories on my mind. Going to sleep thinking about plot twists, characters, and lines of dialogue I haven’t written yet. I have a storage box full of cute notebooks for cool ideas that might randomly come to me. But does that make me a writer?

Not particularly. If following your passion was all it took, I’d have called myself a novelist years ago. But passion doesn’t produce pages on its own.

It’s not just about passion.

Yes, loving what you do helps. It keeps you in the chair when you'd rather walk away. But writing is more than love. It's hard, torturous work. It’s the quiet, uncomfortable, often unglamorous process of solving problems with words.

You can be passionate and still be blocked. You can love writing and avoid it for years. Man, I’ve been there. I lost my rhythm for a long time. Spent many months with a notebook by my side, just waiting for inspiration. Reading every book under the sun, hoping something would come. I still wanted to be a writer, but the words just didn't follow. To be honest with you, I started to doubt myself. Feel like a fraud. Like I was telling people I was a writer just to sound cool.

Then out of the blue something changed.

I wrote a short story on a whim. Nnothing fancy, just a trial run for an anthology. But I got unexpected praise from some of the most honest (and that is putting it kindly) readers I know. The feedback I was given lit something up in me, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was doing something right. It was like I'd been missing a piece of myself that had suddenly clicked itself back into place.

Since then, I’ve made writing a daily practice. Not always storie. Sometimes it’s an article for my website, others a LinkedIn post, even a diary entry. Just something to get the words out of my head and onto the page.

And in doing so, I’ve gained more clarity, creative energy, and (most importantly) I'm starting to get my confidence back.

So what does make a writer?

Here’s what I’ve come to believe, along with qualities echoed by successful writers and writing communities across the web:

✍️ 1. You write—even when it’s hard.

Writers write. Ahey write consistently. Whether it’s a draft, a paragraph, a post, or a note on your phone. Showing up regularly builds discipline and sharpens your voice.

🛠️ Why it matters: Writing is like muscle memory. If you only write when inspiration hits, your creative muscles weaken. Writing regularly keeps them strong, challenges the way you think and your writing skills as well.

🧩 2. You solve problems.

Writing is less about inspiration and more about problem-solving. Why isn’t this scene working? What would she really say here? Does this sentence sing or sag?

🛠️ Why it matters: Good writing is re-writing. Editing, restructuring, cutting and rebuilding. These are all acts of refinement. Writers don’t just tell stories. They construct them. But it's important to recognize why the peices of the puzzle don't fit in order to see the bigger picture.

🌀 3. You embrace discomfort.

Writing can be lonely. Vulnerable. Frustrating. You’ll question your worth, your story. Every single comma. But pushing through that discomfort is part of the job, especially if the subject matter cuts a little bit too close to the bone.

🛠️ Why it matters: Growth lives outside your comfort zone. Writers who avoid discomfort never evolve. Writers who sit with it become braver and better.

🧠 4. You think in stories.

You see metaphors in mundane things. You narrate your life in your head. You dream up conversations and obsess over a single sentence for an hour. Just sitting in a restaurant ordering a pizza is inspiration enough to build a whole new world.

🛠️ Why it matters: Writers are observers. It’s not just about crafting what’s real, but making it feel real to others. Your imagination is your greatest asset. Use it well.

🔎 5. You’re relentlessly curious.

Writers are nosy. They ask: What if? Why did that happen? What’s the story here? They people watch and build a character profile in their head. They research weird things at 2am, and you should never, ever check their search history. Ever.

🛠️ Why it matters: Curiosity fuels character depth, story twists, and authentic dialogue. A curious mind never runs out of stories to tell.

🔥 6. You can’t let go.

You might take breaks. Get stuck. But the stories always come back. That itch to write never really leaves. It hounds you day and night until your brain can't hold any more ideas inside.

🛠️ Why it matters: That pull is your compass. The constant return to writing, even after setbacks, means it’s part of who you are, not just what you do.

So... am I a writer?

Yes. I always have been. Even when I wasn’t writing. But do I feel like one now? More than ever.

Because I don’t just wait to write. I make time to write now, more than I ever have done before. I don’t judge myself by others’ success anymore, or wish I was further along, where I want to be. Instead, I measure myself by how much closer I am to the stories I want to tell.

Final Thoughts: You’re allowed to call yourself a writer.

You don’t need permission. You don’t need a book deal. You don’t need thousands of followers, or a viral post, or a five-star review from a critic.

Being a writer isn’t about having a perfect routine or flawless grammar. It’s about the urge to create, the grit to keep going, and the courage to share your voice.

If you write, and you’re committed to growing as a writer, you already are one. Don't hide your gift or your voice from the world. All you need to do is start writing. The rest will fall into place.