If You Write, You’re a Writer

When folks picture a writer, they might think author or editor or blogger… 

I believe that any sort of writing makes you a writer. It all counts.

Consider This…

Before I became disabled, I had gone back to college and got my degree in tourism and hospitality management. As a student, you are a writer. No matter what you’re taking, you have to show that you know what you’ve learned - usually through writing assignments.

When you work in management, you have to be a good writer. It’s expected that you know how to construct an email that’s coherent, with proper grammar and spelling.

There’s also all of the notes that you take.

I worked in hotels for about 5 years, working my way up to general manager before deciding that wasn’t my path. I left, and worked for another company building a training manual for them so they could have some consistency with their hires. 

After that, I did insurance for a credit union and I likened this to being a journalist (which I wanted to be for a long time). You interview people all day long and when you’re done, you make notes in their file. With the set character limits, you have to be accurate and clear with your writing, comprehension, and communication.

These notes allowed me to find insurance policies that suited each person’s individual needs and lifestyle and kept them protected. I was often praised for my ability to ask pertinent questions and then make accurate notes.

After that, I switched into banking and finance, which also included a whole lot of writing.

You are Valid

I’ll never discount the standardized writing that people do in a day. You don’t have to be published to be a writer - you can just write.

People need to be given the credit for it. It’s not easy. It’s a job.

And you don’t need to have a degree in communications or journalism in order for your writing to be valid.