By CS Rajan
Have you always dreamed of being a writer? Do you often get the urge to quit your job, tuck yourself away in a remote cottage and write your heart away? Do you constantly have a compulsion to put your thoughts down on paper? While some writers realize their passion for writing very early in their lives, for many others it is a slow process of discovery that there is a writer inside of them. Here are some surefire signs that you are really a writer at heart and that you owe it to yourself to give writing a shot.
1. You love to tell and hear stories
Many writers are born storytellers with a gift for enthralling their audiences with their stories. Simple fairy tales to complicated sagas, a bit of gossip from the office or a funny incident at the supermarket, these folks love to share their stories with others. They usually tell any story better than most people and they try hard to make their story and characters appeal to the listeners. Most writers are also good listeners, and love to hear other people’s stories as well. If you have always enjoyed interesting tales and have a lot of stories and characters inside your head, you are very likely a writer.
2. You love to read
Do you love to read anything and everything you can get your hands on? Or do you have a few favorite authors you just love to read over and over again? Do you analyze and ponder over the books you read? And do you never let a few days pass without reading a good book? If you answered yes to these questions, you are definitely in love with the written word, and this is a very important quality for a writer. Most authors are often serious readers who get inspired by their favorite authors, and love to read many kinds of books.
.3. You have a great imagination
If you find yourself making up really creative excuses or daydreaming about things in vivid clarity, chances are that you have an active and great imagination. Good writers need creativity and powerful imagination to come up with all the different characters, settings, plots, dialogues and other elements that go into a book. Often, writers visualize the story and characters in their minds with enough details to make them seem real. This is a great asset for any writer, and if you have it, you are already well on your way to being a writer.
4. You are constantly looking for material
Many writers go through life looking at people and things around them with far more interest than the average person. Real life is a wonderful inspiration for most writers, and they often pay attention to people as possible ‘material’ for their next book. If you find yourself people-watching all the time, and listening to conversations around you with genuine interest, and trying to understand people’s actions and motivations, then you have the ability to draw inspiration for your books from life. And you are a writer deep inside.
5. You are always looking for a better way to express your thoughts
Writers often struggle to express their thoughts, emotions and opinions on paper as well as they wish to- not because they have a limited vocabulary or difficulty in articulating their thoughts. On the contrary, writers strive to find the perfect word or combination of words that can express exactly what is on their mind. If you find yourself unsatisfied at the way you told a story or feeling the need to clarify exactly what you meant, chances are, you are a writer who is looking for a medium to get your thoughts out to the world in the best and most convincing possible manner.
Image credit: Marcus Quigmire on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CS_Rajan.jpg [/author_image] [author_info]CS Rajan is a freelance writer who loves to write on various topics, and is currently working on her first novel. [/author_info] [/author]
