Humans are wonderfully complicated beings, full of transient and contradictory desires. I wouldn't presume to say this or that person is or is not a writer. The most I'll do is say well, currently you are (or are not) writing.
A number of published authors (is that how we're defining the term "writer"?) say they've always written. I started when I was fifteen. I didn't submit a story until I was twenty-four. I didn't (self-)published until forty years later. I don't count my academic publications. Does that make me not-a-writer? I don't think so.
The term "writer" covers an awful lot of ground. The word "want" covers an even greater stretch. There's plenty of room in there for the person who always wanted to write but never did until they retired, or until some life crisis happened. There's room, too, for the person who wrote like a demon and then simply stopped at thirty or forty. As for wanting, others here have observed that we *all* have things we say we want to do or be. That we've not yet done them doesn't make the wanting less real or valid.
When I encounter someone who says they want to be a writer, I take that as an opportunity for a conversation (assuming it's not like sixty seconds before a meeting or a bus). What sort of writer? What have you done so far? Did you write when you were younger? And so on. Let them talk. People are always interesting, even the boring ones. I know a fellow who always said he wanted to write a book. He had lots of stories from his youth. He never wrote a word. I eventually figured out that what he really meant was that he treasured those memories and longed to preserve and to share them. That it never happened is kind of sad, but it doesn't mean he was weak or incompetent. Oh yeah, and listen carefully: do they want to write a book or be a writer? Some, like that elderly gent, just have the one thing or collection, with no intention of a career in publishing. Others are talking about a dream job. Some just want to talk and be acknowledged, while others are looking for career advice. And don't expect their hopes to be logical or well-grounded. See paragraph one, sentence one.
A number of published authors (is that how we're defining the term "writer"?) say they've always written. I started when I was fifteen. I didn't submit a story until I was twenty-four. I didn't (self-)published until forty years later. I don't count my academic publications. Does that make me not-a-writer? I don't think so.
The term "writer" covers an awful lot of ground. The word "want" covers an even greater stretch. There's plenty of room in there for the person who always wanted to write but never did until they retired, or until some life crisis happened. There's room, too, for the person who wrote like a demon and then simply stopped at thirty or forty. As for wanting, others here have observed that we *all* have things we say we want to do or be. That we've not yet done them doesn't make the wanting less real or valid.
When I encounter someone who says they want to be a writer, I take that as an opportunity for a conversation (assuming it's not like sixty seconds before a meeting or a bus). What sort of writer? What have you done so far? Did you write when you were younger? And so on. Let them talk. People are always interesting, even the boring ones. I know a fellow who always said he wanted to write a book. He had lots of stories from his youth. He never wrote a word. I eventually figured out that what he really meant was that he treasured those memories and longed to preserve and to share them. That it never happened is kind of sad, but it doesn't mean he was weak or incompetent. Oh yeah, and listen carefully: do they want to write a book or be a writer? Some, like that elderly gent, just have the one thing or collection, with no intention of a career in publishing. Others are talking about a dream job. Some just want to talk and be acknowledged, while others are looking for career advice. And don't expect their hopes to be logical or well-grounded. See paragraph one, sentence one.