There was another good post on here I saw recently on how we're using bad dictionaries, http://jsomers.net/blog/dictionary

For example the better (while old) Websters Revised only has these two entries for "writings":

  3. A book; any written composition; a pamphlet; as the writings of Addison.
  ...
  5. Writings, plu. conveyances of lands; deeds; or any official papers.

It specifically mentions that writings are more formal and pretty spot on for how we use the word.

TLDR; use this http://machaut.uchicago.edu/websters 1913 websters dictionary rather than the newer, while correct, dictionaries that don't capture vernacual. It's a shame a state of our dictionaries.