A writer is someone who creates written work, whether stories, poems, articles, books, or any other text meant to be read by others. Writers transform ideas, observations, and imagination into words on a page (or screen). Some writers craft novels that transport readers to different worlds, while others write newspaper articles that help people understand current events. Still others write textbooks, instruction manuals, movie scripts, or even the copy on cereal boxes.

Professional writers make their living through writing, but many people write seriously without it being their main job. A scientist who publishes research papers is a writer. A student working carefully on an essay is a writer.

Good writers revise their work repeatedly, cutting unnecessary words, clarifying confusing sentences, and searching for more precise language. They read widely to learn from other writers. They accept that their first draft will rarely be their best, and they keep refining until the writing says exactly what they mean. The novelist Roald Dahl rewrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory multiple times before he felt satisfied with it.

Writers face rejection and criticism as part of the process. Dr. Seuss's first book was rejected by dozens of publishers before one finally agreed to publish it. Many writers collect rejection letters before they collect success stories, but they keep writing anyway because the work itself matters to them.