Friday, July 1, 2016

You Know You're A Writer If . . .

By Kelly Bridgewater

I read a Seekerville blog post back in March by Debby Giusti entitled "You Know You're A Writer If . . ." I LOVED her blog post, so I wanted to bring it back to my blog.

So Here We GO:

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You Know You're A Writer IF . . .

When you plan your vacation, you hunt for local bookstores and decipher how to include them in your travels. . .

Legal pads, journals, and planners excite you . . .

Different color pens in all shapes and sizes excite you . . .

You buy a book even if you have it on your Kindle . . .

Hard to pass up another set of your favorite books . . . (I have five complete Harry Potter series in my house alone. That way no one has to share :).  )

 Buying books is an addiction . . . A Happy Addiction that you don't want to give up.

If you hoard your books, especially the ones autographed by your friends. . .

When you meet a writer that you admire your books, you become all fangirl and gush while she autographs your book . . . ( I have done this. Next month, I will get to meet Ted Dekker. SOOO happy!)

Your Facebook friends list looks like the library card catalog . . . (Yes, I have met and talked with each one.) 

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Your bookshelf is filled with books by friends . . .
You're to-be-read (TBR) is a towering mountain, but you still buy more books. (It's an addiction. I tell you.)

You analyze every movie by 3 acts, the inciting incident, and can identify the Dark Moment.

Your search engine on Google might make your husband nervous . . . (Why do you have ways to poison someone? Honey, I promise it's for my latest novel.)

You actually enjoy talking to your characters. Ahem, yourself . . . when others aren't around, sometimes even when others are around.

When I walk my dogs, I talk to myself, usually trying to work on some aspects of my novel that has got me frustrated. 

You go to work in your PJ's. Sometimes, if feeling really motivated, in jeans and a t-shirt.

You spend a lot of time trying to figure out the struggles you're characters are going through while the kids have cereal for dinner. AGAIN.  

Going to a writer's conference is the one place where you feel like you can act like yourself. Weird and all. They completely understand you!

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 Now it's your turn, Post your favorite line below.

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Giveaway:  

Okay, my reader friends, don't miss this opportunity to win TWO books. I am generously offering two paperback copies, In Perfect Time and Through Waters Deep, by Sarah Sundin to one person (limited to U.S. residents only). Leave a comment, posting your favorite line to continue this discussion. The contest runs until Thursday, July 7th at midnight. I will pick a winner on Friday, July 8th and announce it here on the blog.  :)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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26 comments:

  1. Not only do you TALK to your characters but become ecstatic when those same characters talk BACK to you because now you know what happens next in the story!!

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    1. I agree bethsteury! My kids walk in on me talking to my characters in the kitchen all the time. I just say I'm trying to figure out what happens next. My teenager rolls his eyes and leaves the room. What can I say! The life of a writer. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. When you tell your husband all about the latest exploits by your characters instead of all the flesh and blood people you've spent time with during the day.

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    1. Thanks Linda for stopping by! I do that. Or I talk about the plot twist that I just wrote. Since I write suspense, sometimes it can be pretty graphic. My husband smiles, and I can tell he wonders what is wrong with me. LOL!

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  3. My idea is something I did 2 weeks ago--When you go on vacation then spend a whole day of it driving 2 hours each way, and taking a ferry both to the island and back, and touring said island for a story idea. PS I am now writing the book based on that idea!

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    1. Thanks, Rose! Don't you love when a travel place gives you an idea for your book.

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  4. When you love your "mind" characters and connect with them in a way you can't with those in "reality."

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    1. Thanks R Merr! I don't understand why people in "reality" sometimes don't get me, but my characters I enjoy spending time with. Good luck!

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  5. Kelly,

    Loved the writer-isms! I'd add that you're a writer if ... you almost forget to eat because you're trying to figure out how to make that scene flow.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Tish! I have munched while working on a plot problem, but I don't think I, personally, have forgotten to eat. But I bet it made it harder to concentrate. Good luck!

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  6. When I walk my dogs I talk to myself trying to work out some aspect of my novel that has me frustrated...

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    1. Hey Rorylynn, that is what I do ALL the time. Thanks for stopping and commenting! Good luck!

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  7. You call your children by the names of characters instead of their own names.

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    1. Hello Kerri, I haven't done that yet, but I could see how that would happen. We writers get so lost in our stories that reality and our imagination are easily blurred. Thank you! Good luck!

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  8. I'm not a writer, but as a reader, I try to collect as many bookcases as possible, and it's never enough! Lol

    To answer your other question from the Rafflecopter, I think a hero is someone who puts someone else's life before their own. That is such bravery to me!

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    1. Karen, I agree. I'm always shopping for bookcases at yard sales. I think that is why I'm so drawn to WWII fiction because of the bravery of that generation. A lot of heroines and heroes during that time period. Good luck!

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  9. I've been known to sit down to write for just ten minutes using a writing prompt (old photo, etc.) as an exercise--& finish two hours later. I think my husband is tempted to be put out about it sometimes, until he reads what I've written--then all is forgiven.

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    1. You're lucky, JJ. My husband doesn't read anything I write, so I have no idea what he thinks of my writing. Thanks for leaving a comment. Good luck!

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  10. To answer the rafflecoptor question: Their sacrificial. As the Word says, "Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends".

    As for the writing question: Talking about your characters as if they're real... :D

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    1. Thanks Raechel, that verse is so true for that generation. Thank you for sharing it. As for the writing question, I do that all the time. I believe my heroine and hero follow me and talk to me. Good luck!

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  11. When I think of a WWII soldier I just think good old fashioned bravery and a willingness to fight for what they believed in!

    As for your other question, being concerned about the characters in a book as if they were close friends needing prayer! Haha.

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    1. Becca, Me too. I love the heroism of that generation. My characters do become close friends who follow me everywhere, even in prayer. Good luck!

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  12. Love these! I think another one would be
    You know you're a writer when...your bookshelves are sorted by publisher, rather than genre or author.

    What makes a WWII soldier a hero? Personally, I think the fact that they are a WWII soldier makes them a hero. It was a brutal war and it was far away. They had to leave their families and everything familiar when they signed up.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

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    1. Amber, sorting your bookshelves by genre. Hum. Never thought of that. I wonder how that would look on my bookshelf. My husband might kill me. Thanks!

      I couldn't imagine leaving my family to fight, but they had a good reason. Good luck!

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  13. You know you are a writer if you have to explain why it is a good spot to hide a body but one really isn't in that location and no, you're not psychotic.

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    1. Ooh, a twist!!! As a writer of suspense, I love those. Thanks! Good luck!

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