Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a writer.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective slang Of or pertaining to writers with well chosen words or well crafted sentences.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

writer +‎ -ly

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Examples

  • Part of my 'writerly' poetics is happily donning the mantle of a lifelong student of writing, always looking for ways to improve my craft.

    An Email Exchange Which, Hopefully, May Teach Something 2010

  • All this is just one stop in your 'writerly' journey - who knows what you'll be writing next year?

    An Email Exchange Which, Hopefully, May Teach Something 2010

  • Part of my 'writerly' poetics is happily donning the mantle of a lifelong student of writing, always looking for ways to improve my craft.

    Archive 2010-04-01 2010

  • All this is just one stop in your 'writerly' journey - who knows what you'll be writing next year?

    Archive 2010-04-01 2010

  • And that kind of writerly growth is kind of cool to recognize in yourself.

    Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » The Golden Dumpster 2007

  • EE: Rumors have it that Ralph Lauren discovered you'd once been a male model - and after reading BABY SHARK - he's been pestering you to do a series of ads for his new 'writerly' campaign, but you turned him down when he insisted you lose the goatee.

    November 2006 2006

  • As I read back over it, I see that it does have a lot of "writerly" type advice--It really was a huge learning experience for me.

    One Year Later - Laura Benedict Tia Nevitt 2008

  • I remember Cornelia advising me to stop being "writerly" and just tell the story.

    A Doctor's Initiation (and an Author's): An Interview with Sandeep Jauhar Erika D. 2008

  • EE: Rumors have it that Ralph Lauren discovered you'd once been a male model - and after reading BABY SHARK - he's been pestering you to do a series of ads for his new 'writerly' campaign, but you turned him down when he insisted you lose the goatee.

    ON THE BUBBLE WITH ROBERT FATE 2006

  • The style of these stories (first published from 1988 through 1991) is more "writerly" than his nonfiction commentaries -- and, if my memory is accurate, than his more recent fiction.

    Writing and odd mail 2005

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