The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word INKY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
I
N
K
Y
More clues leading to the result INKY
- Very dark in Kentucky
- Finger, not tip, stained thus?
- Covered in writing fluid — and smelly? No way
- Jet from Bluegrass State arrived first
- What’s Aussie in the grip of drink? Yes
- Dark and twisted, first king abdicates
- Aussie drunk, very smelly, no saint
- Squid-like, powerless finger
- Drink you’re glugging like some of the black stuff!
- Black model car with key missing
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Like material for writer" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case like material for writer = inky.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does INKY mean?
INKY adjective- Of the colour of ink, especially black ink; dark.
- Spattered or stained with ink.
- Dark-skinned; black.