Could You Be Obsessed with Writing?
Have you ever thought of how a person becomes a writer, or what their inspirations are?
Writing well is a science and an art that sets you apart from most other people in terms of expressing yourself and sharing of ideas. While it may look like an easy activity where you simply buy or begin renting a laptop to start churning out words, that’s not how it works.
Usually, the reality of writing and being a good writer is far from this. Most people think of writing as a tedious, dreary activity—sometimes it is, but most of the times it is not.
Those who write consistently can tell you it is a pleasant obsession. If you are a writer or have an association with it, you know how passionate you can get with this activity.
Not only does writing exercise your mind and keep it sharp and your creativity high, but it also enables you to gain knowledge on a wide range of subjects and topics.
So, are you obsessed with writing?
Signs You Are Obsessed with Writing
Some people are obsessed with writing and it helps them keep at it and continue to produce excellent pieces of writing that contribute in a significant way in the world or their chosen niche. Could you be one of those people with an obsessive writing habit?
Here are ten signs that show someone is obsessed with writing, and habits that can contribute to you becoming better in your writing practice:
1- A lot of Reading
For a person obsessed with writing, a sure way of identifying them is that they read a lot. It is not just a casual read, but devouring books for breakfast, lunch and dinner type reading.
By reading widely and extensively, a person rekindles his or her love for words and their creative mojo. Sometimes they may be so focused on reading that they miss their other commitments. That’s someone likely to also be obsessed with writing.
Even when they miss other commitments, these people do not really care much about that because they know they are filling up their knowledge for their next written piece. This is not a bad thing to do because healthy writing comes from healthy reading.
Besides, being a reader is where you get creative ideas for your writing style and content.
2- A lot of Talking to Yourself
While often mistaken as a psychological defect, talking to yourself or self-talking is a way to articulate what you are thinking and better process what’s on your mind.
Someone is not a weirdo with mental problems just because they talk to themselves. A writer, for example, may find themselves talking to themselves in the bus, office, or while in a café. You may sometimes find them muttering under their breath. Don’t be too surprised or alarmed by it; they are just trying to air out and process what’s on their mind.
Self-talking allows for the writer to instantly perceive, jot down or email themselves creative ideas that pop up before they forget them. You may not even write the idea down, but because you verbalized it and perhaps let everybody know you have it, it’s harder to forget it.
Self-talking is not a bad activity as you process your thoughts with yourself. It is just one of the signs that someone is obsessed with writing and a useful way to get those ideas out of your head and on paper by any means necessary.
3- A lot of Emphasis on Details
As a writer, you need to pay attention to detail. People obsessed with writing immediately go into meticulous details of the traits of characters to recognize them in people. When they meet someone, they may start prodding and analyzing all the qualities in their mind.
A person can become a character in your mind as soon as you meet them. From their physical appearance to the way they talk and walk, you have your eyes on every little detail and nuances people display and how that can enrich your own fictional characters.
These details later go on to become a part of your character building in your next project. The short version is that you keep to mind every detail you notice in people, when you are obsessed with writing. This often helps you create very believable and rich characters.
4- A lot of Attention to Surroundings
Just like giving attention to the people they encounter, people who are obsessed with writing also keep a hawkish eye of their surroundings and the environment. The reason for this trait is because they are aware that they need to create believable and accurate background settings for their stories and characters when they sit to write.
You remain very observant when it comes to every surrounding you find yourself in. Everything is like a plot, a scene or a climactic setting. You tend to look and see things others normally ignore or don’t see. And you can easily describe what others cannot put into words because you are very observant and resourceful with your words.
5- A lot of Writing Down of Ideas
Another trait of an obsessive writer is that they always jot down ideas. As creative people, constant ideas are coming into their minds. They do not want to lose even a single one of them, and hence they are notorious for noting down thoughts continuously. This means they always have new ideas written down that they can review and use later.
If you always have an urge and habit to write your ideas down as soon as they come to mind, chances are you have a writing obsession. As a writer, that’s a good thing because you’ll always have brilliant ideas you can use drawn from the sudden bursts of inspiration.
6- A lot of Embellished Storytelling
As a writer, you have a way with words and always have something interesting to say. Your stories are fresh and embellished with attractive additions of decorative details and unique stylistic features that make your writings quality pieces to read.
Someone obsessed with writing understands the value of good storytelling. Your stories convey the message directly and in a memorable way. You put special consideration on audience attention and convey the moral of the story in an attractive manner.
7- A lot of Attention to Fine Points of Grammar
As someone obsessed with writing, you have a habit of correcting grammar mistakes and spellings error others make. People are prone to call you a grammar Nazi.
While this is not necessarily a bad thing to do, it can get pretty irritating for others. However, many times you do not care if people are irritated when you call them out, because you want the linguistic form and grammar to remain as accurate as possible.
8- A lot of Alone Time
Most writers are introverted. They find they need a lot of ‘alone time’ with themselves to develop and focus on building their ideas. If you cherish your alone time, you protect this time fervently, and you are a writer, you may be obsessed with writing.
People may call you an introvert with negative connotations behind it, but you don’t care because you work best when alone. Quiet, secluded places help you think and generate your best ideas and produce your best work.
Your mind and body functions best while working on creative projects when you are away from people. You only come out to connect and share your work after it’s produced in solitude. Then you can retreat again to you quiet place to rest and rejuvenate.
9- A lot of Aversion to Distractions
As a person obsessed with writing, your main concern is to stay focused on your creative work, and so you frown upon any distraction. You shut down most electronic devices and keep your phone on silent so they do not distract you from your normal writing routine.
Similarly, anyone who barges in and tries to engage you in other activities when you are writing is not looked upon favorably. You make it clear to them that you would appreciate it if you had total quiet and privacy during your writing sessions to work on your ideas.
10- A lot of Interest in Feedback
Finally, people obsessed with writing seek constant feedback and reviews on their work to know where they stand. If you take the good and bad reviews as a chance to learn and improve yourself and your craft, you may be obsessed with writing in a good way.
No body is perfect; we all need feedback to know our strengths and weaknesses so we can improve. People obsessed with writing, open themselves up for constructive criticisms, so they know which part they have to work on.
Sometimes they even send thank you notes to people giving both good and bad reviews of their work as a gesture of goodwill and gratitude for the feedback.
