Writers Adopt Many Roles

Early on in any school year, It is timely to remind student writers that writers do a lot more than merely write stories. With this thought firmly in mind, I compiled a list detailing as many different roles a writer performs as I could recall. Clearly, my list is not exhausted. As you read it, you may think of other roles that could easily be added.

It is important to establish an understanding of the various roles a writer can play in the minds of student writers. Such a list could serve as a checklist, or to frame a series of lessons around each listed item. You may consider making a copy available to each of your students to place in their notebooks as a reference for on-going discussion. Another idea might be to enlarge the list and place it in a prominent area of the classroom as a reference point for the important work of establishing a community of writers.

 I have shared my list below. I hope you find it useful in your important work. Developing a broader concept of what it means to be a writer, will hopefully be of benefit to your students as you help them strive to become more confident, more aware writers. 

        The Many Roles of Writers
Writers learn from other writers                                                                         
Writers write about the unexpected and unusual
Writers remember the past
Writers are story tellers
Writers investigate and collect facts
Writers send messages
Writers read in order to write
Writers write regularly
Writers experiment
Writers reread and rewrite
Writers explain
Writers write about special moments                                                               
Writers are curious observers
Writers frequently rehearse before they write
Writers persuade/ argue /analyze 
Writers describe
Writers inspire others
Writers don’t always begin at the start
Writers daydream, and imagine
Writers write about people and places
Writers frequently rehearse their words                                                                     
Writers entertain using humour
Writers play with words and meanings
Writers sometimes create new words
Writers make lists
Writers frequently read before they write
Writers are recorders and reporters
Writers use facts, even when writing fiction
Writers create stories
Writers 'make' poetry
Writers collect words as well as writing they admire
Writers explain things
Writers notice little things others often miss

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