Your Writer-Self Never Leaves You Alone; But You'll Treasure All The Weird Moments It Gets You Into:)

Have you ever had days where you find yourself staring at the cursor moving in a circle over your blank word document because the only thought in your mind is, "That idea seemed smarter at the time I was putting away the dishes...", but then you shut down your computer or laptop and leave out all of your pens and notebooks splayed across your desk or bed while you enter the shower, hoping to just wash off and relax when, "OH MY GOD I KNOW HOW WE CAN WORK IN THAT SUBPLOT NOW! I REMEMBER THAT IMPORTANT LINE OF DIALOGUE THAT YOU HAD WHILE YOU WERE DRINKING LEMONADE THE OTHER DAY! I KNOW HOW WE CAN FIX THAT CHAPTER, OH MY GOODNESS---WRITE THIS DOWN!!"

*knock, knock*

"Who's there-"

"EVERY IDEA YOU THOUGHT YOU'D FORGOTTEN!"

You stumble and slip your way out of the bathroom only to arrive at your desk, dripping water onto the page, but not one word comes to mind anymore. Yep. And that's just the tip of the iceberg you'll be encountering when dealing with your Writer-Self.

Here are the 6 ways to know when your Writer-Self is present:

     1. Anything, literally, anything can inspire you. And everything does. So when
          you see something even the slightest bit intriguing, you look away, but it's too
          late. A story seed is already planted, and the ray of light muse shines down upon
          you only makes it grow. So what if you already have a billion other story ideas,
          what's one more!

     2. You listen to the radio because all of the songs in your iTunes is based off
          of stories and characters and you just want to spend one hour of relaxation
          away from your story, but you find yourself looking out your window dram-
          atically because the song that just came on is new to you, and that's why it's
          just become your new inspiration.

     3. Someone catches you looking through celebrity photos and saving only the
          best ones with the highest of quality and they accuse you of having a crush
          but you know you're just casting characters for your book.

     4. You try to interview your characters by acting like them and looking in the
          mirror. You even take it as far as talking like your characters to yourself and
          even wearing articles of clothing that match their personality so you can decide
          whether or not it's fashionable because, you don't want them horribly dressed!
          Unless it matches their personality, of course.

     5. You've become aware of the saying, "Anything can be a story." and are now
          paranoid someone will steal half of the ideas you've written down over the 
          years. But what sends a chill up your spine is when you pick up a book you 
          find in your local bookstore and read the book jacket's description, nod and 
          smile as you put it back, then cross that idea that came to you over a year ago
          off your list while writing above it, "Already written."

     6. You begin to hear your characters from the multiple stories you're writing help
          you make everyday decisions and call you out when you make their character do
          something shocking and surprising. They never let you off the hook for one of
          their deaths!

Above all, your Writer-Self is inconvenient, always late, makes you look like a total weirdo, and...
You wouldn't have it any other way, but mostly, you're thankful you're blessed for having a family and friends who love and understand that crazy mind of yours! :)
  

                 "The entirety of a writer's life consists of... 
 

               ...either writing or thinking about writing."

                                                                                                                                                  - Lei