8 Weird Things Writers Do

Writers are awesome people. We have the ability to create people and worlds in our heads and tell stories that make people have all the feels. But we can also be super weird. You probably know what I mean, but whether you do or don't, that's what we're talking about today. Here are eight things writers do that is not normal.

1. Stare at people

Not to be creepy or anything. Mostly because they look just like our character, or they look like a good character. I have been known before to see someone and instantly jot down their appearance in my digital notebook to save for a character later.

2. Act out what we're writing

If you find a writer making a weird face or perching on a piece of furniture in an unusual position, don't worry, it's normal. Writers have a bad habit of making the faces we're writing about or physically acting out what's going to happen so we can describe it better. (The same thing goes for artists.) You may also find us scribbling notes after doing something to save for a story later.

3. Keep a list of names

No, not for our kids. That's a completely different list. Ask any writer and they'll probably have a list of names somewhere in their notebooks. And we will take these names from anywhere. You, the newspaper, actors, tombstones. (Creepy, but they have the best ones.) Charles Dickens does this in The Man Who Invented Christmas. A must watch for writers.

4. Read weird books

All in the name of research, of course. Do you think we actually want to know about the mechanics of steam or a complete history of 1950s fashion? We're sure to raise librarian's eyebrows with the stacks of unusual books we check out.

5. Search things we don't want people to see

I'm sure you've seen the "I swear I'm a writer memes" out there. Just because we search poisons, bullet wounds, and length it takes to starve someone, doesn't mean we're psychos. We really do need to know that stuff for our writing. Promise.

6. Be super productive. . .

. . . only when it's time to write. We sit down to write then remember we forgot to check for that important email. And then we'll quickly look at Instagram and remember you need to post a picture today, plus like twelve thousand other posts. Then you need some coffee, remember you haven't done the breakfast dishes and oh, whoops, where did the day go?

7. Imagine our own movies

We already have our dream casting and we love to imagine ourselves watching our book on the big screen, exactly like the novel, of course. We obviously had a big hand in making sure nothing changed between book and screen and we probably have a small cameo too. And I'm sure I'm not the only writer who has already had imaginary interviews with people, right?

8. Have strange conversations

About all sorts of stuff. Plot, villain motivation, whether or not it's feasible for clouds to be up to code, what sort of ad a bad guy would put in the paper for an army, and so on. And don't forget having deep discussions about movies, books, and TV shows, judging them and weighing their plot and characters. Probably over-analyzing and putting in more depth than intended too. Or is that just me and my sister?

Let's talk! What sort of weird things do you have to add? Do you do any of the things on this list? Tell me down in the comments.

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