You’re not Really a Writer Unless…

… you write instead of doodle when given a blank piece of paper.

… you’re interested in words, not only their meaning but what they imply, not only how they sound but how they are used.

… you can’t seem to have peace of mind unless you finish that sentence with the exact word you’ve been looking for in the back of your head.

… you write for money.

… you write for food.

… you write for fame.

… you write for nothing.

… you write when you’re happy and when you’re sad, and every other moment in between.

… you write for friends.

… you write for employers.

… you write for yourself.

… you pause at random moments, take a look around, and try to describe things in your head the way you would if you were writing a book.

… you pause at random events and make a mental note never to forget to include it in your next piece.

… you bring a pen and a notebook with you on a long trip just in case you get bored and need to write a poem.

… you read.

… you have the compulsive urge to edit crooked writing.

… for you, essay is spelled E-A-S-Y.

… you have mood swings that dictate when you should and should not write.

… you hear people say that your work is good, including people outside your family circle.

… you get published as an anonymous writer, and people still think your writing “kicks ass.”

… you cook up silly characters in your head and wonder what it would be like if you met them in person.

… you’re tired at the end of the day, and your form of relaxation comes in a medley of pen and paper — or of computer screen and keyboard.

… you read.

… you keep a copy of every single piece you’ve written since you were a kid, no matter how ridiculous it sounds when you read it now.

… you feel that your life won’t be complete unless you publish a book.

… you have no trouble maintaining – and not just starting – a blog.

… you’ve got really good typing speed as a result of writing (or typing) too often.

… you find that writing clears your head and untangles your thoughts like nothing else can.

… you’ve thought of enrolling in creative writing classes.

… you read essays you’ve written year after year and find that the current piece is always better than the one before it.

… you’re not afraid to read the work of other people and see where your writing stands in comparison to theirs.

… you read the work of better writers so you can become better yourself.

… you read. And then you read some more.

16 Replies to “You’re not Really a Writer Unless…”

  1. I’m inspired. Great!

    1. Thanks! I’m glad that you are. =D

  2. Interesting list! I’m guilty of quite a few of these. 😉 Though I think for every writer, the list of inexplicable writer behaviors is unique. For example, I can’t bear to keep my old work if I think its too awful to ever be of use haha!

    1. Yup! I’m with you on the unique part. Guess I’m just sentimental. lol. 🙂

    2. I’m almost incapable of throwing anything away. 🙂

  3. Awesome! Guess I have a list of things to work on now, I’m not guilty of enough of these.

    1. Don’t worry, it’s just a personal list of most of the quirks I have. haha. Thanks for dropping by! Happy to follow.

  4. Oh delicious, I love this! You’ve hit the nail on the head with this list! I found myself nodding and smiling throughout the whole thing. I’ll add one item to your list: writers get to play with M.P.D. instead of mp3’s 😉

  5. I hit “You’ve thought of enrolling in a creative writing course.” I go, “Yessss.” Lol.

  6. Totally relate to this:

    you have the compulsive urge to edit crooked writing.

  7. “… you read essays you’ve written year after year and find that the current piece is always better than the one before it.”

    Totally agree with this one. I used to love reading my diaries – always fun to witness when I loved ridiculous metaphors and abusing the exclamation point. “He tore away the [metaphorical] sheet that was concealing my beauty!!!” Brilliant writing right there.

    Speaking of knowing when you’re a writer, has anyone here ever had a narrated dream?

    1. Yeah, diaries are fun to read again and again.. though I’ve never really kept one long enough to consider a “diary”.. LOL.

      Narrated dreams? Now that’s interesting. Never had one… yet.

Leave a Reply to ~jOyce Cancel reply