Sorry about the long break there—I was sick. I’m back and all better, I hope—and tomorrow we should start the website reviews!

I suppose I should start with a confession—I haven’t written fiction in almost two months (aside from rewrites in last month’s revisions). This is partially because I’ve been sick for almost two months, and that’s actually making it harder than normal to cope with this lack of creativity.

I also haven’t been editing a whole lot, though I did perform major surgery on my last MS. I simply lack the motivation to do most writing related tasks (or, let’s face it, get dressed half the time).

That’s the biggest problem, really. Combined with a protracted illness (which, really, really, should go away any month now, please get the memo, body), though, I find myself doubting whether I can classify myself as a “writer.”

After all, the great practitioners of the art tell us, a writer is someone who has to write. A writer writes every single day. A writer is disciplined to write no matter how s/he feels.

And actually, this is actually a rather minor condition—it’s not like I have a terminal illness or something. People turn out better writing than I ever have feeling worse than I ever have.

So what’s the matter with me? I’m supposed to be a writer. I’ve finished three novels in the last year. When I’m drafting, I write whether I feel like it or not. I’m supposed to be better than this.

I actually do believe we need to make allowances for ourselves, especially for health. Overcommitting isn’t going to make me a better writer, and burning myself out when I already don’t feel good isn’t exactly a good way to prove my commitment to a career. Is it?

What do you think? What makes someone “a writer”? How do you handle time away from writing?

Photo credit: writer’s block—Jonno Witts