Re: 'author' vs. 'write'

[Stephen Victor <svictor -at- HOUSTON -dot- GEOQUEST -dot- SLB -dot- COM>]

Diane Burke wrote:
>
> The Concise Oxford Dictionary lists author as both a noun and a verb. As a
> verb, it states "be an author" with author defined as a "writer of a
> book" or "an originator of an event".
>
> I agree with Bev that the target medium is unimportant. But, maybe the
> act of authoring needs to encompass more than just "producing" which could
> describe an event such as cutting the CD. It seems to me that "to author"
> must also comprise some aspect of an originator.

And, as others have pointed out, Webster's Collegiate defines the verbal
form of the word as "to be the author of."

Maybe I'm dense today, but I'm having some trouble with defining "to
author" as both "to write" and "to be the author of." I think my
difficulty lies in equating the two definitions, because they seem
different to me. The first clearly implies an action, but the second
seems to be more a description of the person, almost an essential
definition.

I could be splitting hairs here, but I think Diane is on the right
track. "To author" seems to describe more than what's happening; it also
describes who's doing it.

Steve
--
Stephen P. Victor                               Phone: (713) 513-2552
Technical Writer, Software Training             Fax:   (713) 513-2019
Schlumberger GeoQuest                svictor -at- houston -dot- geoquest -dot- slb -dot- com
5599 San Felipe, Suite 1700
Houston, Texas 77056 USA

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