The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word LAWRENCE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
L
A
W
R
E
N
C
E
More clues leading to the result LAWRENCE
- He wrote about cutting grass before church
- Writer and architect clad in decorative fabric
- Source of novel combination of children and partners
- Novelist initially into Buddhism
- Clear new translation for writer, one associated with Arabia
- Author and architect clad in ornamental fabric
- Spike securing small flier for writer
- Chapter we learn has to be rewritten by novelist
- British author and architect dressed in fine material
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 = lawrence.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.