Are You Really a Writer?

Okay, so you can string coherent sentences together and love expressing your feelings through some form of writing. But are you a writer in the real essence of the word?

Being a writer is very tough. Your best friends are your laptop and a mug of coffee. But just because you sit and ‘bleed’ at the laptop everyday doesn’t necessarily qualify you as a writer. In the modern sense of the word, maybe you are a writer. But the old-fashioned authors of the previous centuries have given quite a different twist to the title.

Do you write for money? Then you definitely are not a writer at heart. You have to write because you have a story to tell, not because your electricity bill is still unpaid. And let’s face the truth: very seldom do writers earn enough to get off their day job, especially debut authors.

Another trademark of a real writer is that they’re moody and extremely sensitive. This applies to poets too. Little incidents affect their minds, which in turn creates a wonderful world on paper. Writers are most susceptible to mood-swings. If the main character in your book is down with flu, then you too will be down in the dumps all day. Sound familiar?

Writers secretly admire other writers. That’s true, even if you read a book of someone who, in the near future, is going to turn into your rival, still you can’t help appreciating their vocabulary, their narration, plotline, etc. Another ‘writerly’ phenomenon is that you can’t help talking about that fantastic book that you’ve just read. And it’s also a sad but true occurrence that you’ll rarely find anyone willing or knowledgeable enough to discuss it with.

Good writers are always voracious readers. How many times has it happened to you that you plunge into a new novel and can’t even feel the passing of hours while your kid sister moans about what a long morning she has had to endure? This is a sure sign that you’ve caught the ‘writing disease’.

Writers are super conscious about their grammar. Most writers, even when off duty, feel very insecure about their writing. For example, do you type out full words and double-check your tenses while sending someone a text message? That’s what I’m talking about.

Lastly, writers are dreamers. Self-doubting dreamers. Sure, you day-dream about  castles and far-off lands, but aren’t you also doubtful as to whether other people will love that story in which you’ve poured out your heart and soul?

Concluding, if you experience all those signs and syndromes mentioned above, then take a bow! I officially declare you a writer! Always remember, writers are altogether a wholly different species of humans. We dream when others sleep, we imagine when others invent and we write when others waste their time! So be proud and keep on writing 🙂