I still write a little [part of speech of 'a little']

a. Do you still write? I still write a little.

b. Do you still write short stories? I still write a little.

The first thing to say is that (b) is wrong and should be I still write a few, otherwise the response does not answer the question. However, grammatically, “few” functions the same as “little”. The contrasting example would be either:

B(i). Do you still write short stories? I still write a few, in which “a few” is a noun phrase = a small number of them.

Or

B(ii) “Are you still an author?” “I still write a little. in which “a little” is an adverbial phrase = to a small extent.

The problem is the verb in these sentences. Confusion arises as the verb “to write” is ambitransitive. An ambitransitive verb is a verb that can appear as an intransitive:

1 “What is your job?” “I write.”

and as transitive: 2 “What is your job?” “I write books.”

Ambitransitive verbs, in their intransitive form, can always have an object added and become transitive – BUT they can also always have an adverb added: 1a “What is your job?” “I write professionally,” or “I write for a newspaper.”

Compare this with the transitive: I write articles professionally,” or “I write articles for a newspaper.”

The status of “a little” therefore varies as to how the ambitransitive verb is perceived. With the intransitive, it is an adverbial phrase with the transitive verb it is noun.