Defining Writing

I've touched on this idea multiple times over the years with different friends and writing groups.  What makes a writer?  and more importantly Why do you write?  I've recently had a discussion about the later question in my two current writing groups so I'll start with the first quest.  What makes a writer?  And bear in mind, these are my own opinions, not the be all end all of what a writer is.

I'm not a writer. Ernest Hemingway was a writer. I just have a vivid imagination and type 90 WPM. ~Tiffany Madison

That's sometimes how I feel.  I have never classified myself as a writer.  My friends have, my family has, random people who read random blog posts have.  I never have.  It's not a craft I'm dedicated to nor put time and effort into.  Writers are drawn to writing like a moth to a flame.  They have a need to put words out there.  They write for no audience and every audience.  They do it for a myriad of reasons but that is for another day about why.  I, on the other hand, have a totally different experience, if I compare notes with my writer friends.  

Yes, Earnest Hemingway was a writer. And Jane Austen.  And Edgar Allan Poe.  And William Shakespeare.  And Mark Twain.  And Stephen King.  And Dr. Seuss.  And... You get the point.  But.  There is always a but, or however, or despite.  Some catch that breaks the rules.  And I'm gonna name names here so be prepared.  A Simply Enchanted Life.  Niki Flow.  Amara Graves.  Nathan Everett.  Writer Girl J.  Bah.  They are writers too.  Some are actual honest to goodness published writers, some are writers working toward publishing, some just have a story to tell with no desire to publish, some are bloggers, some are posters, all are writers.  It's not why you write that makes you a writer.  It's not how you write that makes you a writer.  It's that you write that makes you a writer.  

So, even though I average maybe 6 blog posts a  year, even though I only really put out words of quantity in November, even though I never feel this need to write.  I write.  Therefore, by aforementioned logic, I am a writer.  I write when a thought process feels like it is more important than just me.  I write when the people in my head insist they have something to say.  I write when I'm inspired.  I write when I'm motivated.  Whether that be twice a year or twice a day, it still makes me a writer.  And you know, it's a pretty special group of people to be associated with.