Confession Time!

Writers are a little weird. Let's call it like it is, okay? =) Actually, if we're doing that, we'd call writers a LOT weird. But anyway...

I'm getting ready to head to a writing conference and one of the most fun things about that conference is the fact that everyone there is weird in a similar way. We can have conversations about made up people at the things that they do almost without our control. We can say things like "I just can't get my character to have this conversation with so-and-so" without people staring at us blankly, saying "You know you made them up...right?"

Ah, group weirdness. I'm looking forward to it.

Talking about characters like they're real is only one of the weird things we do as writers. Go ahead. Admit it. You've done some weird things too.

My Weird Writer Quirk Confessions:

1. Sometimes I have to act things out before I can write them. Like, I'll say something and then tilt my head like I'm perplexed. Or I'll rub my hand over my face, you know, like you do when you're frustrated, to figure out how to best describe that.

2. I once ordered a magazine subscription (InStyle) ONLY because I was going to write a character who was super into fashion, and my idea of fashion is jeans and a t-shirt. Maybe jeans and a sweater, if it's winter. I needed to read this to get in her head. It totally worked! I also became moderately more style saavy. Side benefit. Haha.

3. I see my characters in different places. A girl with red hair walked into my English class a few years ago who looked JUST LIKE (I mean JUST like--to the point that if that book ever gets contracted I'm going to ask her permission to just give the art department her photo for the cover...) my main character. This was totally mind blowing, and became even cooler (and creepier!) when she started dating another student of mine who I realized looked disturbingly like the guy she would have dated in my story...

So go ahead, y'all, let's have some fun with this. What are some of your weird writer quirks? Can you only write in a certain place, with a certain pen? Do you talk to yourself? How do you get in your character's head? Have you ever ordered the same coffee drink over and over at Starbucks so you'd know why your character liked it so much (what? That's just me? Hm...)?

Confession time! Looking forward to reading yours!