Since when does being a writer depend on publishing something? You are a publisher when you publish something. You are a writer when you write something. Maybe you are an aspiring publisher?
"Aspiring and established writers think of great ideas at strangest times. How many times have you thought of an amazing concept that evaporated away because you didn't find the time to write it down?"
If you are an aspiring writer and are trying to get yourself published, you would of course know how to write and write proficiently. But in some cases even the best writers have to go back to the basics in order to improve as writers.