I've been seeing a disheartening trend out there, evident in some of the blogs I read, and other, scarier, places.  It seems that a lot of people who write want to limit the definition of a writer so that it pretty much includes only people like them.

Like the fanfiction argument I posted about.  "Real" writers, as they call themselves, say that people who write fanfiction aren't real writers.  Because of what they write.  The RWA, in its latest round of ill-conceived policy changes, is trying to limit the definition of a romance--and hence a romance writer--to include only writers who write a certain type of story--including a certain number of people and what they call an "emotionally satisfying ending".  Anybody else isn't a "real" romance writer, at least not in the eyes of the RWA.

And it doesn't end there.  The RWA doesn't seem to want to extend its highest priveleges--like PAN membership--to e-publishers and writers who publish that way.  No matter the sales figures, no matter the standards, no matter anything, it seems e-publishers aren't real publishers.  And e-writers aren't real writers.

I think that's plain silly.  I don't write romances, don't even read them, but even from here its obvious that the RWA is uncomfortable with the way publishing trends are moving--both in what medium of book sells and what type of content sells--and this is their way of trying to curb that. 

To me, a person who writes is a writer.  If you don't like the content of someone else's story, or the medium in which they choose to market it, fine.  But don't try to argue they're not a "real" writer because of it.  Maybe this person is the best writer you've ever read, maybe they are far from it.  To me that's irrelevant.  Do you love to write?  Do you carve time out of your busy schedule to write?  Do you love the works that you write--good, bad, and ugly?

Then you're a writer.  Maybe not a professional writer, maybe not a best-selling writer, but definitely a "real" writer.

Writers already get little enough respect from the outside world.  We don't need to start dividing against ourselves as well.  Bickering and back-biting among people who share a common love of the written word seems small and counter-productive.

Can't we all just get along?