The day I decided to start writing for money was the day I figured I had become a professional writer. Well, in the sense that writing became my profession. When someone mentioned that they needed a professional writer, I froze. Thankfully this mention was through email and not in person (or on the phone). They didn’t have to see the terrified look in my eyes when I read those two words.

Professional. Writer.

I considered myself one, would they? What do others consider professional? A simple question that I asked myself ended up morphing into a quick poll to my Twitter list. I was also relieved to find that considering myself a professional writer was not as far fetched as it was starting to seem.

This is what my lovely twitpals had to say on the topic:

christammiller from Christa M. Miller.com:

I thought myself pro soon after going full-time, when an editor bit on a query. Knew I’d nailed it & could write anything else!

kimferrell from Freedom Writing:

I’ve been a writer all my life. I was a “pro” when I decided to not get a day job and freelance full-time.

bothfeetin from Freelance Writer 2.0:

Many don’t find it easy to define themselves as such until they are paid by a stranger to do work. However, I would say a professional writer needs be ethical, making a pt/ft income as a writer, and decide they are one. If they write for a living, some income is the goal.

rferrall from Inoweb Marketing:

When you have people willing to pay you a rate that you’re comfortable with. That’s how I see it, anyway.

What about you? Are you a professional writer or do you just write? What does being a professional writer mean to you?

I am proud to call myself a pro.

Photo Credit: matsuyuki