I have wanted to be a writer since I was in third grade. Admittedly, my younger years involved moments during which I lost motivation, but I always regained it and I now know that I want to pursue writing professionally. Writing is something that I have always loved, and the more I assess my way of thinking, the more I see how much my brain is truly programmed like that of a writer. Just as musicians will hear the musical quality in sounds they hear throughout the day or visual artists will see something artistic in everything around them, writing has influenced the way I perceive the world around me.
Perhaps this is a case of the “chicken or the egg”. Some of these phenomena are habits that I have developed f
rom writing and others have been within me all along. I imagine these habits are a combination of nature and nurture. But regardless, I know that they are extremely important to my craft and I’m proud of them despite how strange they may seem. Here are a few ways that I think like a writer:
1) I love the story behind everything.
More than once, I have found myself doing things because I think they will make good stories. Because I like to make people laugh, I often do things because I think they will make a funny story, only to discover that people simply cringe at the poor decisions I make. While this may make me sound like a rebellious person, I am actually quite the opposite, as anyone who knows me has already figured out. It isn’t just about funny stories either. As embarrassing as it is, I’m also a sucker for romantic stories, and I may or may not be fascinated by the idea of real-life “meet-cutes.” Obviously the answer is “not” because I’m an adult and I choose all romantic prospects based on…fiscal responsibilities. That’s what adults are into, right?
2) I find interest in the mundane.
I absolutely love people-watching. You may be thinking that people-watching is not unique, but I think there is something unique in the way I like to people-watch. While most people enjoy picking up on wild stories, I find myself finding smaller things much more fascinating.
One time I accidentally found myself in the middle of the “no-pants subway ride” in New York City while I was with my parents. I told that to someone who didn’t know me very well and the person said it was great that I, of all people, got to see this because I like observing other people. What the person didn’t understand is that to be honest, I’m not amazed by supposedly “shocking” phenomena like that. Perhaps this is partially due to the fact that I spend a fair bit of time in New York City, where wild things happen so much that no one bats an eye. But it’s also just because I enjoy inspecting the mundane until I see something interesting within it.
The things I enjoy most are seeing the interactions between friends or family members on the Long Island Railroad or seeing two people on the subway who don’t know each other make small exchanges (it happens on occasion, though not very often). I am intrigued by the ways people interact with one another and the ways different people react to situations. This lends itself to writing in that it is a great way to get inspiration for a character, even if I am not working on fiction too much at the moment.
3) I’m obsessed with words and expressions.
This is probably something that was more nature than nurture. If I like a the way a word or phrase sounds, I will just say it in my head over and over again. I get words stuck in my head and I can’t get them out. One time I was yelled at by my dad for overusing the word “ubiquitous” a bunch of times incorrectly. (And I said I wasn’t a rebel!) Similarly, I often repeat jokes long after they have lost their humor to everyone else. I just keep saying them and they get progressively funnier to me. No one else seems to appreciate it but that’s cool with me.
Well, that’s all! What is your passion and how does it affect what you do? And if you’re a writer, do you do any of these weird things? No? Just me? Okay, cool. Well, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts!