My favorite critic

"You call yourself a writer" my favorite critic said to me today - "why do you call yourself a writer?"  "Ummm.... because I like to write?"  I say tentatively and a little embarrassed.  "What have you written?"   "Well a little of this and that - and I have a journal that I've written in forever, and..., and oh yeah, I've started writing a book!", I say gaining a little momentum.   "Ahh, have you ever been published, because I think you have to be published to call yourself a writer."   "Uh, no I don't guess so", I say taken aback.  "Well then", she says walking away.

"Wait a minute" I say, "come back.  I am a writer because I write.  You don't have to be published to be a writer.  No one even has to even read what you write - you're a writer because you write down your feelings and what's in your heart".  "Oh", she says as we reconcile our feelings - "I suppose we are a writer after all".