Symptoms you're an author . . .

You always see things like "You know you're a red neck if . . . . " And "You know you're from (this place) if . . . " and I thought to myself "Huh. How do you know you're a author?" So I did the most obvious thing . . . I began making a list of things that make me a writer. Things that I have in common with . . . .other authors.

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?