Here it is . . .
You might be an author if . . .
- You talk to yourself in multiple voices. (And by yourself I mean your characters!)
- You bolt out of bed at 3am because you know if you don't write down that new idea it will be gone by morning.
- You act out the scenes that keeps playing through you mind just to make sure it will work.
- You have arguments with your characters.
- You lose said arguments.
- You browser history consists of things that could get you convicted of many crimes if your DNA is ever found at a crime scene.
- You feel the need to write like you have a need for oxygen.
- You get finger aches from all the writing/typing.
- The voices (aka characters) don't bother keeping up with the schedule and interrupt you with ideas for their stories at anytime. (Including while you're in the middle of writing a different story!)
- You sit at the computer, staring at a black screen for hours because your characters have stopped talking to you so you don't know what to write.
- You have an unusual hankering for Dr. Pepper. (This one isn't a must but it has become apparent that a TON of writers LOVE Dr. Pepper. So many in fact, that I think somewhere there is a connection between the soft drink and authors and creativity.)
And here are other "symtops" suggested by others:
- You're so good at people watching and listening in on other's conversations you could be a spy.
There are so many more! I could work on this list all day long and still now get them all. So, do you pass? Are you a writer? Are you an author?
What "symptoms" would you add to the list?
loved the post! smiled while reading, found myself in your ideas.
ReplyDeletehave a nice day and a nice time writing!
Thank you! That makes me so happy! <3
DeleteThank you, thank you! I hope you have a fantastic day!
I love describing the setting when I go outside. I love to pay attention to sounds, smells, the shape of the clouds, the way the sun feels on my skin, or the wind bites my nose, etc ... And I often compulsively describe it to my family. They think I'm insane.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even thought of adding that to the list! That is an excellent way to get good at writing descriptions! Very nice! <3 Haha, I think being crazy is also a requirement. :) No worries, we're all a little crazy here. LOL
DeleteI do have that people watching thing but I pretty much fail at the others. Back when I drank soda, I liked Coke, although I did like to have a Dr Pepper every once in a while just because it was different. I haven't had soda in something like five years, now, though.
ReplyDeletePeople watching is super fun! Coke is good too. I don't know what it is with Dr. Pepper though. I took a poll to see because I heard so many authors saying how much they loved it and the results blew me away! Out of 50 people, two of them had other preferred drinks. The rest all drank Dr. Pepper.
DeleteBut as much as I love it, I am trying to back away from it and stop drinking soda all together.
It's a life changing thing; trust me. I grew up on soda. When I quit drinking it, I lost 80 pounds in less than a year without really doing anything else. And, after, food just tasted better. It was amazing. Sugar really overpowers your ability to taste, and you can't tell until you don't have it there washing the flavor out of everything else.
DeleteI gave up soda for a year and the results were staggering. I just felt better! But after that year was up, I just went right back to it. And I think it was cause I just dropped it all at once and just craved it for a year. This time around I am slowly giving it up, drinking more water and less sugars. And hopefully by the end of the year I won't even want it anymore!
DeleteThank you for the encouragement! It is so good knowing what happens when I can give it up fully!
It took more than a year for the soda cravings to go away, so I don't think easing off is going to help with that. Seriously, two years after not having any soda, we'd be somewhere and one of my kids would get a soda (which we let them have rarely, as a treat), and I'd have a nearly overwhelming urge for some. So it's not an easy thing. But I haven't wanted one in a really long time, now, and actually, at this point, the thought of soda kind of turns my stomach.
DeleteDang, I really hoped it would. But good to know that I just need to get away from it. Thank you so much!
DeleteThat all sounds so familiar! I have to admit I worry about my browser history because of all the strange, criminally-minded things I look up regularly. That, and I do bow to the Dr. Pepper gods!
ReplyDeleteLOL Yeah I worry about that too. I'm like, oh please no body try and frame me for murder or something. One look at my browser history and I'm done for. Especially if it's death by medieval weapons! :) Yay! Dr. Pepper for the win!
DeleteI watch, spy, listen in, try to guess what a couple's "story" is while I watch them at dinner. I blurt out random questions to The Engineer, "What's a good name for a solvent that would un-solder a micro-chip from a circuit board?" "So for Second Earth, would it be possible to build it in chunks and transport them to the site, or should it be built more like the Death Star?" I ask my kids if they'd get into an acceleration pod. "Do I have to go to the airport and go through security?" "No, it would be more like a bus stop and you get in, get unconscious, and wake up at your destination." "Of course, Mom, you know that's what you do on a road trip!" Sigh. Yeah, I'm a writer. And I'm published, so I'm an author. I can stop any time. Really. If I wanted to.
ReplyDeleteTina @ Life is Good
Oooh, that is one of my favorites, trying to figure out what someone's story is! LOL I love all the questions.
DeleteHaha, once a writer, always a writer. :p Psh, I don't know how anyone could just stop at anytime. :D
You get finger aches from all the writing/typing.
ReplyDeleteYour fingers ache to begin writing/typing.
Your characters get mad at you for deleting their favorite scene and clever dialogue.
Your characters stop talking to you.
You stop writing.
You apologize and promise to put the scene back...later.
Oh my goodness, all great ones! I especially love the "You apologize and promise to put the scene back...later." Too funny!
DeleteIt's about time someone came up with this list! But the Dr. Pepper thing is news to me.
ReplyDeletelol I totally agree! Ya know, it isn't official and it really does vary with each author. I just noticed a trend, a pattern. :)
DeleteSo, everything on the list (and added items from other writers in the comments) apply to me other than the Dr. Pepper thing. (Ugh! Who drinks that crap? lol) Here's another one:
ReplyDeleteWhen reading other's books you either: A) Rewrite the story the entire time you're reading or, B) Edit the entire time you're reading because you spend more time editing than writing your own work.
I knew Dr. Pepper wasn't for everyone. :) It just blew me away at how many authors did drink it! And yes, yes, yes, that is a fantastic one! I can't believe I forgot that one lol!
DeleteI hate Doctor Pepper, but many of the others apply to me!
ReplyDeleteLOL awesome!
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