10 reasons writers are awesome AF
Photo by Nayanika Mukherjee @journyes
From a wild imagination to a strong attention to detail, the mind of a writer is a terrible thing to waste
Writers are like tongueprints. No two are the same.
That said, those of us in the writing industry do have some qualities and quirks in common. I first recognized our similarities while working at newspapers and on content teams, meeting kindred spirits along the way as well as formidable adversaries.
I won’t profess to be an expert on writers, but I do have some thoughts. If you’re a writer and you’re reading this, be sure to let me know anything I left out.
10 Random Facts About Writers
1. Writers always have pencils.
Always!
2. We’ve already used up the erasers.
I didn’t say they were functional pencils.
3. Writers are so cool that AI wants our jobs.
Oddly enough, many of us are lining up to train them to write. Hey, if it’s inevitable, they might as well do it right.
4. When on deadline, we spend our time doing anything other than writing.
Yet somehow we will still manage to meet our deadline.
5. Writers spend a lot of time in our heads.
We think about (and Google) a lot of random things: If time travel were possible, would you have to buy a round-trip ticket? … If dogs were in charge, would they have to pick up our poop? … sloth with two heads … What would happen if there was a gravity switch and somebody turned it off? … robot with an afro and platform shoes … What does a pine cone taste like? … Will licking a pine cone give me cancer?
6. Yet, we notice tiny details in the world around us.
Stuff that most people miss.
7. We notice your grammar mistakes.
It doesn’t mean we’re judging you. Editors, on the other hand …
8. We’re enigmas.
I think it’s because we live in two worlds, the real world and our imagination. For a productive existence, we must strike a balance between absorbing the world around us, adulting, relationships, and sitting alone in a room for long periods, devoid of sunlight, stimulation, and human contact. When you see me, you might encounter a shy and introverted bunny rabbit, an impulsive and overly excited Kool-Aid Man (Oh, Yeah!), or a surprisingly calm and articulate muppet. I’m nuanced.
9. We write stories about you in our heads.
It’s not even really about you, per se. It’s a story inspired by you. For example, my friend gifted me a full-length mirror. By the time I put it up in my bedroom, I’d created an entire fairy tale about a magic mirror, cursed by an evil sorceress. She could see into my room through the mirror and manipulate my love life.
Note: My friend is not an evil sorceress (as far as I know), but I did move the mirror into a closet, just in case.
10. The world keeps changing. We keep writing.
It’s just what we do, like breathing, blinking, and thinking. If we don’t write, our brains might explode and no one wants to be stuck cleaning up that sticky mess.