Six Signs You've Got A Writer In Your Life...

Like most professions, writers have certain characteristics that set them apart from the mechanics, doctors, and duck hunters of the world. We’re fairly easy to spot if you know what to look for, so here are a few ways to identify the writer in your life.

1.  If you see someone you know constantly arguing with people that aren't there, they're probably a writer. Or an escapee from the mental ward. Could go either way…

2.  If their work uniform consists of fuzzy socks, tank tops, flannel pants, or pajama jeans, there’s a good chance they're a writer. Or a tragic fashion victim that likes soft things… (or both—like me)

3.  If someone in your life consumes more than a gallon of either coffee, jolt cola, or Mt Dew in a single twenty-four hour span, they're definably a writer. We thrive on caffeine. (warning - Stay clear in cases of caffeine shortage!)

4.  If a friend or loved one does something that makes you question their sanity, such as quizzing firemen on how to get away with arson or locking themselves in the trunk of your car to see how it feels, there's a good chance they're a writer. Or, again, an escapee from the mental ward. ( Funny how we share a lot of the same traits… ) 

5.  If they can’t resist the urge to rewrite ads (Newspaper, magazines, ect), rearranging sentences or changing and cutting repeated words, there’s a good chance you've got a writer.

  

6.  And lastly, if when people irritate them, you find your loved one drafting elaborate death scenes, complete with dialog, motivation, and possibly gratuitous amounts of torture, they're a writer. Or someone in need of psychiatric evaluation..

Am I forgetting anything? Do you have a writer in your life? What are some of the quirks that set them apart?

It Ain't Easy Being Friends...

Have you ever had a non-writer friend come up and ask if you use real people (like them) in your books? Ever had a friend say they knew you'd used them for one of your characters?

I suspect all writers have had this experience. It creates a sort of double paranoia: Is that me? What are you going to say about me? Please use me. vs I want to keep you as a friend. Do you recognize that little hair-biting thing? I need my character (who incidentally looks like you) to act like this.

I've explained over and over that I may use bits and pieces of a collection of people to create one character. That most writers take their experiences and rebraid them to make a story. But I've never duplicated a living person on the page. (Although there is one person on a reality show that needs a story. He NEEDS it, I'm telling you!)

Still I hear: 'You better not use me in your books,' to 'Me! Use me!' It can require such a sharp balance that I'm sometimes hesitant to admit I'm a writer. But ultimately it doesn't keep me from borrowing those quirks that are endearing, or annoying, or just plain fascinating to make my characters more real.

So Kelly, if you see a biker-chick with big blue eyes in one of my books, well . . .