Being a "writer" is a general term or expression. It can include writers as a hobbyist or professional, tweeter or novelist, and even a student fulfilling homework assignments or intensely passionate writers who write about anything, for anything, just for the sake of using words.

I have eyes on copywriting, social media strategy and blogging as professions. All of these require me to write, and to write with a sense of purpose. But these potential professions don't limit my writing areas.

I believe it's important to be passionate about any goal you set out for, and I never put my name on anything I'm not proud to claim as mine. Here are a couple ideas of what I think it takes to be a writer in this day and age:

1. You gotta be completely, utterly, and entirely crazy coconuts about words.

If you're not constantly wordsmithing, you're not passionate enough.

I used to be in a poetry class, and it totally became my domain. I was so in love with the art of poetry; the way words were fluid with one another, the meaning behind a stanza, and the emotion drawn out of a simple phrase. It rejuvenated my love for the English language and it expanded my vocabulary in volumes.

During and after this class, I was always thinking in poetry. I would see a squirrel on the sidewalk and suddenly romanticize everything about its experience, my experience, and the world around it.

It'd hit me at the most random of times, and that's why the "Notes" section of my phone is chalk full of random fragments and tidbits. Sometimes I'd piece them together to create a poem, add them to another poem I'd been working on, or leave them to marinate and see what they'd become later.

2. You gotta have a good sense of voice over what's just a grammar faux pas.

Yes, the way I phrased that was on purpose. "Gotta" isn't generally grammatically correct, but it's part of my voice and if I didn't use it, I'd sound way to formal for it to be me.

But there's a fine line between your unique voice and just having poor grammar. If you're gonna* be a writer, know how to write well. You shouldn't be misusing "your" when it should be "you're" and don't get me started on there/their/they're and to/two/too.

The one thing your professional career is gonna* rely on is your ability to do words, and do words correctly. So be conscientious of your words and make sure you still sound like you passed 9th grade English.

* I did it again, yes.

3. Constantly be pointing out your own mistakes.

We all make grammar faux pas, but you have to be able to recognize those mistakes, and then learn from them. This means rereading something you've written [OVER AND OVER AND OVER] before submitting it or turning it into the big guys (like teachers, professors, or, ya know, your boss).

If you're not rereading your work, why did you just waste time writing it? Be proud of what you're putting your name on. It all reflects back on to you, your work ethic, and your skills. Don't give anyone a sense of you being a lazy, passive writer in this field.

You won't make it.

4. It's OK to admit that Grammarly gets you through the day.

I don't know what in the world I'd do without it! Some might think it enables us to not read our work over before submitting it (what I mentioned in #3), but it actually forces me to look back on my work.

I always make sure the automated corrections are suited towards what I'm trying to say in my piece. It's a smart system, but it doesn't always pick up on lingo or words I use that are in my unique voice (what I mentioned in #2).

Grammarly does a great job of catching what I might've missed out on the first time around, which is normal since everyone's eyes aren't built-in with a Grammarly-like system. Wouldn't that rock, though?

5. You have to be willing to learn and evolve

Referring back to the love I have for poetry that I mentioned earlier, this love started back in 7th grade during English class when we had a segment on poetry.

My first ever poem goes as follows:

It once was December,

And I forgot to remember,

A day so great,

It was a very good date,

Or maybe it was November?

Moral of the story: if I hadn't grown and evolved past rhyming basic words that work together only for the sole purpose of the rhyme... I'd be nowhere as a writer or poet.

6. Be able to gain inspiration from anything.

There's a series on Netflix (not original to Netflix, but that's where I dawned on it) called Jane the Virginwhere Jane is a writer aspiring to be a famous romance novelist. She struggles throughout every season on a book, or multiple books, that'll give her that big break.

I bring this up because I relate so desperately to her abrupt sensations of inspiration. In the show, Jane will gather her best ideas just by sitting on a public transportation bus, or when something else randomly happens to her. She'll be in the moment with one thing, and then suddenly she needs a pen and paper (or whatever is around to write on) before she forgets her idea or train of thought.

This literally happened to me with this blog post. I was editing articles for my Odyssey team and read through one of my writer's articles and it dawned on me that I had something to say about what it takes to be a writer (in the most respectful way possible).

I couldn't have gotten to a word document quicker. Sometimes when inspiration taps you on the shoulder, you gotta run after it just spill your heart out onto a page before you forget where you were going with it.

Hence why my "Notes" app on my phone is chalk full of poem ideas, and plenty of others too.

7. Be yourself.

This goes along with #2 where I mentioned having your own unique voice. It takes time to develop your voice and know what you're gonna sound like. I've been writing since 7th grade and I feel like I'm still developing mine.

You can't mimic someone else's style of writing, though. I mean, you can definitely try, but it wouldn't be right because it's not yours. Trying to write like someone else can help you develop your own voice, but eventually, you'll veer off the beaten path and create your own so that maybe someday someone else will try to mimic yours.

Being yourself in your work will give life to your piece. Express yourself accordingly.

8. Write often.

Writing is like building muscle. If you're not routine on lifting weights, you're going to lose that muscle. If you're not routinely writing something, you're going to lose your knack for it.

But if you enjoy the art of writing, you shouldn't want to stop anyway. Find opportunities to keep you writing on a weekly basis, or even a daily basis. Keep a journal to write in at the end of every day, and keep a "Notes" section on your phone to add unusual words or phrases that feel genius.

Write weekly articles for Odyssey, get involved with your student newspaper, or at the very least, write some letters to loved ones.

Don't just keep your creative juices flowing... keep them overflowing. Be on the edge of your seat in total excitement ready to write something new. Stay invigorated. Write so much that your hand cramps and your brain turns to mush.

Be passionate about it.