Oct 16, 2010

Wannabe Writers #38

Wannabe Writers is an Internet writing group. Everyone is welcome to join. It's a place to meet other writers, ask questions, and get feedback. Click here to find more about how it works.

Where I am in the writing process: Unpublished. And still currently, officially taking a break from writing.

My current problem(s): Not writing.  I don't have much to say since I'm taking a break.  I did do some editting at the beginning of the week but no new words.  I'm wondering if I have what it takes to see this whole writing thing through. 

My question this week:  Do you think it takes a certain personality type to be a writer?  (Personally I'm pretty OCD.)

4 comments:

Witless Exposition said...

I think anyone with a creative streak tends to lean toward...eccentricity. I have a healthy dose of OCD, and I have a feeling I'm going to be diagnosed with Bi-polar II before this is all over. I'm not sure if one causes the other, but I think that extreme personalities are drawn to creative acts.

Good luck with the writing. We all have times that we hang it up. I did for about five years, but now I'm back to it.

Lone wolf said...

Yes, I believe you need to have a passionate personality mixed with a little type A. Is it common to have a detailed view of the middle of a plot-line without any idea of what led up to it?

Hayley said...

Sometimes it helps to step away from writing for a while and take a breather and just live. And even if you aren't adding new words, editing & reading & just experiencing the world will help you grow as a writer, because once you start writing I don't think you ever lose your writer's mind.

To answer your question, I think it does take a certain personality type--the kind of person whose imagination trumps their reason. Like...there's construction going on down the street from me, and they covered up a fire hydrant with some sort of black tarp. Every time I drive by it I think that it looks like a tiny, creepy old crone, hunched over and watching the road. And then I start thinking about how eerie it would be to be stalked by some crazy old woman who wore a black cloak around and hovered just at the tree line, watching you as you went about your normal business...ok, I'm weird, but I think a lot of writers are the types who can see something random and have their minds turn it into the start of a story.

On a (somewhat) side note, I remember someone asking 3 friends and I (who were BBFs in high school and recently reunited after we all finished college and moved back to the hometown) which one of us was the "weird one" back when we were teenagers. I was shocked when my friends all said it was me. Haha, I'd always thought I was the quiet, smart, goody-two-shoes, but apparently they could spot my true nature even back then :)


Whew. That was longer than I intended.

Miranda Hardy said...

I think, personally, it takes dedication and an open mind to continuous learning. With those qualities, anyone can be a decent writer.

I think the OCD is a good thing, but I understand your break. I am breaking now myself. I go through spells of writing and then reading. It happens.