Writer or Author? A scribe by any other name . . .

First, the links for today:

Better Writing Habits: A 31-Day Makeover Challenge Helpful articles all month long!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race Writers and social media. I signed up for all the social media sites, just like the experts recommended, and it was too much. So I linked most of them, now concentrate on Twitter and Facebook (and this blog), and let Twitter and Ping feed the rest. That way, I have a "presence," but I don't have to spend every second of my day on-line.

Random Plot Points Random plot point generator to ramp up the conflict for your characters.

Ghostwoods: How to Write a Novel in Three Days


And now I have a question for you: do you call yourself writer or author?

A lot of writers are reluctant to admit they write. Or, as I saw in a post earlier in the week, they add "dismissive" qualifiers like, "I'm an aspiring writer." Experts tell us to "own" our profession, to not dance around it, and just come right out and say, "I write." Great advice, but I don't know what title I should be owning!

In conversation, when people ask what I do, I say, "I'm a writer" -- mostly because saying "I'm an author" sounds weird. But in printed form, I say, "I'm an author" -- because phrases like, "The official website of Brenda Kezar, writer" sound a little weird.

Or maybe I'm just can't shake my preconceived notions. When I think of "authors," I think of Hemingway and Dickens. When I think of "writers," I think of Stephen King and John Grisham. I associate "author" with literary works and "writer" with genre works (and I'm a genre scribe).

So what do you think? What do you call yourself, and does your perception change based on genre?