#2 - What is My Occupation?

I don't know what to say when I'm asked, either in person or on a form, what my occupation is.

I'm still trying to get ahold of that elusive Bachelor's Degree by taking online courses, so I could qualify to check the "student" box. On the other hand, I am a full-time stay-at-home mother to four children. Should I check "homemaker", or better yet, fill in "Domestic Engineer" in the "other" column?

I have been telling people that I am a writer, but then they want to know what books I've written. When I confess I haven't been published yet, they look at me a little funny. I know what they're thinking - that I'm not really a writer if I haven't published a book.

It's funny, too, that when I'm in the company of other writers, either aspiring authors or published ones, I will readily say I'm a writer. Among other groups of people, I'm more likely to claim "homemaker" as my occupation.

Out of curiosity, I used an online dictionary - thefreedictionary.com - and it defines "author" as someone who takes responsibility for a published work or something to that effect. On the other hand, it defines "writer" as someone who is capable of writing and has actually done so. Those definitions still leave me in the never-never-land of occupations.

I guess the only thing to be done is to get my work published. Then I can rightly assume the title Author and all of this annoying confusion will be gone.