5 Ways of Knowing That You Are a Writer

There are many writers in this world, and many others who want to be writers. There are even more who think it might be fun to be a writer, but have never given it any serious thought.

But what makes a writer? How do you know if you are one? Or if you even have what it takes?

Here are five characteristics that most writers have in common.

You Read All the Time

Writers don’t just pop up out of nowhere. Every single one of them was a reader first.

In most cases (but certainly not all), writers tend to be those kids who were the first to start reading. The ones who read anything and everything they could get their hands on. The ones who were reading books that their parents, teachers, and friends told them were too hard for them.

Imagine trying to go out on the field and play baseball when you’ve never watched a single game. That’s like trying to write without reading. You have to know the rules. You have to understand the flow of the game. To write, you have to read.

If you’re a voracious reader, you’ve already taken the first steps towards being a writer.

Can you be a writer without constantly reading? Yes, but it might be quite a bit harder, and you'll probably make more mistakes that could be avoided just by reading more.

You Read Actively

It’s a sad fact that many teens, and even more adults, don’t read anything they don’t have to. And even if they do read, a lot of people—probably even the majority—read just for fun. They only see what’s on the surface.

But writers dig deeper when they read. They examine the structure of the story. They revel in the descriptions. They don’t just read the dialogue, they hear it. They try to predict what’s going to happen next.

There’s nothing at all wrong with reading just for pleasure. Every writer does it, many of them every single day.

But if you find yourself looking past the words, if you envision yourself in the story and how it might play out differently, then you’ve definitely got the makings of a writer.

You Collect Ideas

Just about every writing conference, panel session, or author talk I’ve ever been too, one of the questions that gets asked is, “Where do you get your ideas?”

And the answer is the same every single time: everywhere.

Writers don’t invent their stories out of thin air. They look closely at the world around them. They observe events. They watch people. They listen. And they find ideas.

But here’s the important part: they not only find ideas everywhere they look—they write them down.

One of the biggest, most important things you can do as a writer is to keep your eyes open for story ideas, and write them down! Keep an idea journal. Carry it with you whenever you can. When you can’t, at least carry some note cards or scratch paper.

Ideas are everywhere, but they’re incredibly fleeting. You might think you’ll remember that absolutely wonderful idea forever, but what if you don’t? Jot it down right away, any way you can, and add it to your idea journal when you get a chance.

Good writers never have to struggle to come up with ideas. Just by watching the world around them, they find far more ideas than they can ever use.

You Connect Ideas

So, what do you do with all of those ideas you’ve collected? All those characters, settings, turns of phrase, puns, events?

By themselves, individual ideas aren’t that useful. But once you put them together, that’s when you have a story.

Writers will often begin a story by taking two or three (or more) of their ideas and mashing them together. I felt like writing a zombie story, but not just the same old zombie story. While thinking about what to write, I watched some birds splashing around in a birdbath. I asked myself what zombies and birdbaths have in common, then sat down and wrote my story.

If you find yourself connecting ideas, asking yourself “what if this happened” and “how would this person react to this event,” you’re ready to write.

You Write

What is the one thing that every single writer has in common?

They write.

You can want to be a writer. You can daydream about book tours and movie deals. You can fantasize about hoards of fans screaming for the release of your next novel. I’ve spent far more time that I’d care to admit doing all of those things.

But until you start writing, you’re not a writer, and never will be.

All of the other characteristics are important, but this one is vital. If you want to be a writer, you have to write. Every day, if possible. You have to want to write. Many writers will tell you they find it painful not to write. If that’s you, you’re in good company.

So, what’s the best way of knowing if you’re a writer? You write.

Start today. Start now. Create something amazing.

C. Wombat