Am I, or Am I Not?

The day after I first published the Miss Ramblings website a thought occurred to me.

I was now a “published author”!

I find this rather funny. I don’t think I could ever consider myself to be an “author”. An author is someone who writes books, or so I thought. But a quick google search brings various definitions.

Among them is that a writer of books is called an “author” while a writer of other works is referred to as a “writer”. Another definition is that someone who writes professionally is known as an author.

Now the word “professional” troubles me. I remember being called a “professional singer” many years ago, simply because on a few occasions I was paid to perform some songs. I would definitely not have referred to the standard of my performances as “professional” at the time. And the remuneration on those occasions was hardly at a professional rate.

But back to the writing. I’ve been trying to recall if I’ve ever previously had any of my writings published. The only other time I can remember ended up, decades later, leaving a rather nasty taste in the mouth.

At some point during my primary school years a certain entertainer came to the school to present his show. The teachers then had the students dutifully write short paragraphs regarding the performance, which were then printed in the school’s newsletter. My (very embarrassing) contribution was among them.

The entertainer autographed the front cover of the newsletter and my copy of it remained in my possession for the next 40 or so years. Said entertainer went on to great international success until he landed in gaol having been convicted of several heinous crimes, committed over the length of his career.

Needless to say, I no longer have the newsletter.

So, am I a published author? I guess by definition I am, thanks to the wonders of the internet. However, let’s wait a few more years - and then some - before we take that statement with any grain of salt.

Nikki