writerly

American  

[rahy-ter-lee] / ˈraɪ tər li /

adjective

1. characteristic or typical of an author, especially a professional one.

2. markedly literary.

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writerly British  

/ ˈraɪtəlɪ /

adjective

1. of or characteristic of a writer; literary

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Etymology

Origin of writerly

First recorded in 1955–60; writer ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Imagine a voice-dictation AI that knows when to automatically insert semicolons; be still my writerly heart.

From The Wall Street Journal

In this ancient Tuscan city, Leonardo is awakened by his writerly ambitions, a swoony love for medieval Italian authors like Dante and an intellectual disdain for the 20th century.

From Los Angeles Times

Em dashes are among the most writerly of punctuation marks precisely because they don’t really need to be there.

From Salon

The novelist, who arrived in the U.S. as a child refugee with his family in 1975, elucidates his writerly influences and interrogates the idea that any minority voice might serve as a “model” for one race or ethnicity.

From Los Angeles Times

Authored from his unique perspective at the heart of the industry, Wolf’s autobiography makes for an unusual celebrity narrative — rather than concentrating on self-aggrandizing storylines, the musician devotes his writerly energy to bringing the look, sound and feel of as-it-happened rock history to life.

From Salon