You Might Be a Writer If…

You’ve seen them. You’ve spotted them out in the wild: in Starbucks, in the local tea shop, in Barnes & Noble. They’re pouring their heart and soul into a notebook or a keyboard. but are there more subtle ways to spot a writer? Or how can you be sure that you yourself are head, ears, and tail all the way into the rabbit hole?

1. Does your bookshelf look like a super colorful rainbow of awesomeness?
   I mean, does it look like that fantastic bookshelf behind Megan in all her videos? As writers (and therefore readers) Colorful, beautiful book covers are to us as shiny jewelry is to other people. These are the pretties that we collect and proudly display.
2. Cats.
   Obviously, not all writers have cats. But if you write and you have one, you probably spend a lot of time chasing them down to get your pen back, taking pictures of them for Instagram, getting them off your laptop, and just generally telling the whole writing community that you have a cat.
    (PS, not my cat)
3. You have a coffee cup or tea cup collection like unto a dragon’s hoard of gold.
   If you’re a writer, at some point you’re probably going to jump on the “what all the cool writers do” train and try (or become obsessed with) either tea or coffee. Or you just want to feel really official so you start collecting cups to use during writing sessions.
   Like these:
   
   My best-est friend Emma was nice enough to share her favorite tea cup as well as her coffee cup collection.
   
   
4. You have some sort of “bookish” prized possession.Mine is a quill and ink. Yours might be a life size cutout of Harry Potter. Or a typewriter. Or some Jenna Moreci Cyborg swag.
5. Books on the craft.
   We all own some sort of book about writing. I have books on characters, humor, and publishing. In college, I had to write a paper on my chosen field; so I had to write about writing. 30 pages. Suffice to say, I read a lot of books and collected several articles.
6. You have a HUGE TBR pile.
   A TBR is a “To Be Read” pile (or list). And writers especially tend to have big ones. Unrealistic ones. Ones that we may not complete before we die…undoubtedly with a book in our hands.
7. You follow a ton of blogs.
   And YouTube channels. And podcasts. And social media accounts. Basically we find tons of other people like us, and never leave them alone.
8. Your social life is basically fictional.
   We all have conversations with our characters. But if you talk with them about non-book related things, to the point where they are pretty much your imaginary friends, you’re definitely a full-fledged writer.
9. You have “small” obsessions.
   
10. This is basically anything: binge watching a TV show for weeks straight, collecting an entire book series, delving into fan fictions, exploring types of tea…whatever it is, it is both an escape for us and inspiration for our stories.
11. Do you have a bookmark collection?
    Megan Tennant give me a picture for this that fits both the bookmark collection and the coffee cup point:
    
12. “Regret Books.”
    This could be a writing project that did not go as planned or a book we read that was a big disappointment. Either way, it was a learning experience for what not to do in the future. Albeit a cringe-worthy lesson.
13. Book stores and library sales are our heaven.
     I like Barnes & Noble once in a while. But for me, there’s nothing like a used book store or a library sale! Look at all those treasures, just waiting to be discovered!
14. An appreciation for age.
     After all, we all hope our own books will stand the test of time, so we have a natural appreciation for the classics. There is nothing like old book smell! I love the look and feel of an old book, and wondering about all the people who must have read it.
15. You have a personal writing space.
    Mine is typically my bedroom in the recliner. Or on the living room couch. Yours is probably more professional, like this picture, courtesy of Megan (thanks for the pictures, Megan!)
     Whatever your space looks like, it’s likely (a) messy, because that’s us, (b) comfy, because what writer isn’t all about comfort, and (c) tailored to your needs, routine, and system of work.

Thanks to Megan and Emma for the pictures! Can you relate to any of these points? If so, congratulations, you’re a writer!! If not, just wait…it will come.