The One About What You Are 

My four year old daughter is obsessed with pea soup. Specifically, my pea soup. For some odd reason, she asks for it constantly. She can name almost all of the ingredients and her face lights up at the mere suggestion of the steamy green stuff. Yesterday, she announced to Himself that "Mommy's a good chef" while she sang the praises of the blessed pea soup. I said thank you, we all laughed and we moved on with our day. But it stuck with me... at least the word "chef" did.

See, I'm not a chef. I'm a pretty good cook and I can adjust just about any recipe for may family's tastes, but I cannot walk to my pantry, whip out a few ingredients and "create" a meal. You will never find me with a jar of capers, a can of tuna and an original idea all at the same time. Just not who I am...

So it got me thinking. About labels, about the internet, about blogging, writing... about  CREATING. Making things, being original, originality in general, fact, fiction, wishes, actions, presentation, truth, lies, and the stuff in between...

(Yep, that's my brain. It's gets all different kinds of busy up in here)

Awhile ago, the great big blogging community had a great big kerfluffle about the term "writer", specifically, "real writers" and what exactly makes a "real writer". The definition of the word "writer" basically says that if you can form words, you're a writer. So every semi-literate person out there who puts pen to paper or fingers to keyboard is technically a writer, myself included. But is that fair? Especially out here in the vast web-o-sphere?

It appears that everyone would like to label themselves as something out here. Mommy blogger, Design Blogger, Daddy Blogger, Travel Blogger, Food Blogger, Political Blogger...etc. Almost all of them label themselves as "writers". But are they? Is the term valid if you're earning a living from it? Or is it about exposure? What about actual print? Is that more or less valid than the internet itself?

My definition of "writer" has always contained the term "create". Along with the word "original". If you've created something original in words, in my view, you're a writer. It seems that I'm the minority. Out of the 30 or so blogs that I read regularly, maybe 2 or 3 of them are actual writers. All of them purport to "be" writers, but few actually are. Few actually exhibit an original thought. It doesn't mean that they're not interesting, it just means that they're not "original".

But it's all in the marketing isn't it? Call yourself something and therefore, that must be what you are. Say it often enough and loud enough and someone, somewhere will believe it. Call yourself something, re-write some copy, and viola! You suddenly are what you wished you were all along.

But is that who you are???