Gargoyle, perhaps at the heart of your observation is whether or not people are in a position to define themselves as writers. You have certainly offered a prevalent opinion in popular culture of what gives someone the right to say that their artistic expressions have merit, let alone even exist as such.

In my opinion, a person is a writer because he or she writes. Furthermore, in my opinion, the "wannabes," as you call them, are the people who show up at writer's conferences, classes, seminars and coffee houses to think and talk about writing because it makes them feel like a writer. Or perhaps they are hoping some magic will rub off on them and profound word constructions and inspired stories will magically burst forth on their computer screens and notepads. Writing itself is too damn hard. God bless them.

If the marketplace is the judge of who gets to be called a writer, well, O.J. Simpson's new book about how he "might" have committed the murders is approaching best-sellerdom. "The Bridges of Madison County" was a runaway multi-million seller. The best-seller lists are lousy with such examples, ad nauseum.

In her lifetime, ten poems by Emily Dickinson were published. She belongs to an awfully large club.

In a phrase that seems to irritate many literati on another thread, go figure.

I'm very aware that all the above is a big fat cliche, by the way. Us wannabes never tire of venting it.

Elmer