The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 7 letter word RIDER HAGGARD
R
I
D
E
R
H
A
G
G
A
R
D
More clues leading to the result RIDER HAGGARD
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "writer" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case writer = rider haggard.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.