Thursday, December 13, 2012

You Might be a Writer if . . .

Anyone who touches your manuscript is absolutely required to answer two questions: Did you read it? and, based on their answer, Why not? or What did you think of it?

On your desk you have things like five pads of half-used sticky notes, a day-old cup of coffee, a dog-eared copy of Roget's Thesaurus, a cable for something you can't remember, and/or a pen that ran out of ink last week.

The only thing that worries you about the North Korean "weather satellite" currently tumbling out of control in the stratosphere is whether or not another writer will publish a story based on it before you can.

There is at least one Idiot's Guide to something about writing in your book collection; you keep hidden in the back of a desk drawer.

When someone tells you that they're writing a novel you ask them what it's about and then critique it in your head as they're describing it.

When your best friend calls to tell you about the horrendous argument she had with her guy, you take notes on the dialogue.

You have tabbed a Bible for easy reference but you haven't attended church services since you were six.

You have argued with or complained to a bookseller about the shelving arrangements in their store.

You have outlined a novel idea featuring a protagonist who is either an FBI agent, mutant, Navy Seal, private detective, shape-shifter, star ship navigator, werewolf or vampire, or some combination thereof. You have no intentions of writing the novel but still hang on to the outline, just in case.

You own a shirt printed with a profound quotation about writing that doesn't fit you anymore.

12 comments:

  1. Well all except for the church part : )

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  2. Lol, Robin. I tabbed mine so I could keep up with the psator during Bible study class. At least, that's what I tell him. :)

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  3. I got 8 out of 10, so guess I qualify.

    (It would have been 9 if I'd known about the satellite)

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  4. Fran K11:27 AM

    My desk has all the aforementioned junk except the cable and I always argue with booksellers about their shelving arrangements. Why do they dump paranormal romance / urban fantasy in "Horror"? Can't they just make a specific section for them? It's not rocket science, you know. Oh and all my t-shirts with sayings on them are Star Trek or Star Wars related - yep I'm a sci fi geek :-)

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  5. If you're going to sneak in to look at my desk you may as well vacuum.

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  6. Keita Haruka12:12 PM

    Hehe. :P I don't generally allow people to touch my manucripts unless I invite them to. And no tabs or links to any bibles either. :P I do have tabs on most other religions though. As for the last point...um...no comment? :P

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  7. Oh dear. I have done several of these. And as to the rest? Thanks for the ideas. ;)

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  8. "I cannot live without my books." -- Thomas Jefferson

    ...And no, the shirt no longer fits me but I still keep it...

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  9. bluebamboo7:32 AM

    See at first I read that last one as, the profound quotation about writing is what doesn't fit me anymore. (I was also at first picturing a 3XL t-shirt, so...)

    I figured you were using 'profound' as a wink-wink, tongue in cheek thing, alluding to the changing and growing writers do as we learn and apply more about the craft over the years.

    Then it dawned on me. :)

    Thanks for that little giggle, and for the whole list!

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  10. Fantastic, cover a good many of these, cheers.

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  11. Yes, yes, and yes. Except for the messy desk bits. I have ADHD, so everything must be "just so", or I get lost. ;)

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