When do you become an author and when do you stop being an author? Not having published a book since the early '90's - before the turn of the century - I sometimes feel like an ex-author, a bit like Monty Python's ex-parrot. I am certainly a writer; this blog proves that and I managed 95,000 words last year (The Key to Finlac). But am I still an author?
Does it matter how I feel about it or what I call myself or how other people regard me? Fifteen months ago, I was a Local Government Officer, a Senior Adviser. Now I am an ex-LGO, no doubt about it. In 2010 I had a job description and most of the time I managed to follow it. Then they gave me an acronym, VER (maybe you should Google it?) That sort of defines me too.
So why does this 'author' thing matter? Well, it's a question of confidence and self-belief - a bit like standing up in your Speedos on a Mediterranean beach (not that I've ever done that kind of thing). Returning to authoring is like baring your chest when everyone else already has a tan.
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