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| Photo credit: Olivander on Flickr |
- You constantly edit. Whether it’s while you’re driving down the street and pass a misspelled sign, or grammatical errors in Facebook posts, you fix errors constantly in your mind—and sometimes not so silently.
- You’re highly observant. And not only do you notice things all the time, but you file them away in your I could write about this later folder.
- You often ask, “How could I describe this?” You don’t ignore your life experiences—everything from walking outside during a torrential downpour, to burning yourself while cooking, to taking the first bite of a piping-hot homemade chocolate chip cookie can be used in your writing, and you often pause to think about how you would describe it in words.
- You have a hyperactive imagination. There’s never a dull moment in that head of yours—your imagination is always working on overtime to keep you entertained and give you fresh ideas.
- You feel inspired to write after reading a good book. Enough said.
- You often daydream about your WIPs. Your characters never completely leave you— they walk alongside you throughout the day and give you new ideas when you least expect it.
- You feel guilty if you haven’t written anything in a while. What a “while” is depends, but after a writing hiatus, a part of you begins to demand that you get back to the keyboard and reprimands you if you don’t.
- Grammar jokes are funny. Well, they are.
- You can’t get enough books. After all, every new book is a couple hours worth of inspiration.
- You keep doing this writing thing. It doesn’t matter if you’re not published, if no one else cares if you continue to write, if you don’t make a penny off of the words that you put on the page—none of that matters, because you’ll continue to write anyway.
Now it’s your turn: what signs would you add to the list?
Twitter-sized bites:
Think you might be a writer but aren't 150% sure? Here are ten signs that you very well might be. (Click to tweet)
Think you might be a writer? How many signs do you have? (Click to tweet)
Love two and three...I do them all the time. My daughter says I need to carry a notebook everywhere!
ReplyDeleteCarrying a notebook or some other note-taking device with you is very helpful--best to jot down those spontaneous bits of inspiration whenever you can. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of these. They apply. I think I might add that you forget sometimes that some of your conversations are only in your head and didn't happen in real life.
ReplyDeleteLOL, HAHA, sniffles, and any other sound I can make. How did you read my mind?! This list is perfect, it's so going on my inspiration wall. Idea: maybe the 11th tip should be "You have an inspiration wall".
ReplyDeleteThat's a fun one to add--thanks for the addition!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing better than a gut busting grammar joke.
ReplyDeleteThey can certainly be entertaining. :)
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm officially a writer! Plus it's always good to know I'm not the only one who sees spelling mistakes everywhere...
ReplyDeleteYou most certainly are not the only one!
ReplyDeleteI felt like crying reading this. I thought I was alone :O Even #3! I was just serving a customer today and thinking "How would I describe that eye color? Silvery-green? Acid green? And the contour of her nose is superb, I just have to write a nose like that into one of my characters." Of course she stared back and thought I was trying to make a move, in which case, a simple job became extremely awkward... until I told her I thought for a moment that she was an actress I've seen in a movie. Then she was flattered ^_^
ReplyDeleteI hate to double post, but I'd like to add to this list. #11; you know you're a writer when you can't read for fifteen minutes without daydreaming about what's going to happen next or how you could incorporate what you're reading into a different narrative situation.
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely not alone--as you can see we writers tend to have many peculiarities in common. And it sounds like you handled that potentially awkward situation very well. :D
ReplyDeleteThat's actually a really smart point--reading with that kind of awareness makes for a great learning experience.
ReplyDelete#4 for sure! I could spend a lifetime alone in my head and never get bored.
ReplyDeletewhen truly crapgnatz things happen, a while later on you find yerself using that very emotional state/bad thing/emo freakout in a story or a scene... other people go to therapy, we head for the keyboard!
ReplyDeleteGreywolf the Wanderer
I am still on the verge of being a writer and i completely agree with the observations made over here. I am happy to realize its not something rare happening just with me ...)
ReplyDeleteThat one is one of the best advantages of having a creative mind, IMO. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely not alone! We writers all tend to share many of the same quirks and eccentricities. ^_^
ReplyDeleteOMG, I'm so glad this one isn't only me. My hubz thinks I'm a bit dotty. Now I can tell him, "It's a writer thing."
ReplyDeleteYep, guilty as charged! You nailed it, haha! Great list! :)
ReplyDeleteThank, Andi! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm always asking my family crazy questions from the symbolism of fireworks to the medical names of all your fingers to heart diseases. They've long since stopped asking me why.
ReplyDeleteHa! Research questions are important, even if they seem nonsensical to others around you. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you start to see strange creatures, assassination plots. delusions of persecution everywhere..........
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha ha. I saw a quote on tumblr that said something to the effect of a creative's life is so much more interesting in his/her head (paraphrasing there, but the idea is the same). I have to agree. :)
ReplyDeleteYES! Also, I'm not quite sure if this is just a "me" thing, but I often find myself "rewriting" or changing conversations in my head. Almost like I'm editing the dialogue and fixing what I Could/should have said; or imagining where the conversation could have gone. It get's so bad at times that I often have a hard time trying to distinguish between what really was said, and my edited version. Anyone else?
ReplyDeleteHa! While I haven't had the distinguishing issue, I've definitely gone back and tweaked conversations in my head. I think it's good practice for future debates (both in real life, and on the page). At least, that's what I tell myself. :)
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I do is silently and keenly observe everything around me, and listen to people rather than chattering away with them. It helps me imagine things.
ReplyDelete