A Dash of Words with Loleta Abi Romance Author

The Writer’s Wheel 2/24/2020: Eight Observations that Point to You Being a Writer

Loleta Abi

Ever wonder if people can tell you’re a writer just from a casual glance at your person, home, vehicle, or purse? Check these out.

1. Your Person.

You stare off into space. Unless you’re in a senior center and do so, you’re mulling over a story.

When you’re walking or driving, your speaking into your recorder to capture thoughts or ideas that struck you at the moment.

You’re constantly scribbling on a notepad or typing into your IPad.

• You’re Home.

Cleanliness of your house is a last-minute tornado you spend throwing everything into the closet or under the bed so that God forbid, anyone discover your mess.

You’re just as likely to find a stick-it note on the back of a banana peel.

You have charts and maps corked all over your desk back or your wall.

You make room for your home office, even if it’s in the side of your living room.

You learn to live with distractions.

• Your Vehicle.

There’s a book in the door holder for those boring moments of waiting for your kids to get out from their school or job.

There are audiobooks or cds on writing or books that you listen to while in route.

You get to where you’re going sometimes without realizing you just cracked that block in your story.

• Your Purse.

How many of us have thousands of snippets of ideas tucked within a pocket of our purse?

Or again, a notebook to capture story threads.

Pens or pencils to write or sketch with when lightning zaps us. (Not literally.)

• Your Bookshelves.

There are dozens upon dozens of books.

Some on writing, most on fiction or history.

Books are lopsided and crammed in where they fit.

Books scatter your end tables just waiting to be picked up and gone through with craft information etc.

• Your Corkboards.

Similar to your maps and charts, these host notes, pics, goals etc.

Some are suggestions on settings and characters.

Some remember what street your character lives on and the number of her house.

Important info on your character’s looks.

Guidelines to margins and indents.

• Your Filedex.

Here you store important papers.

Contracts.

Rejections.

Acceptances.

ISBN info., publisher, date, rights.

• Your File Baskets.

If you’re like me, these are overflowing.

With calendars noting deadlines, important dates etc.

With story info and background.

With important things you’ve learned in craft.

In anthologies to read.

In markers and highlighters for editing.

In a thousand other things YOU NEED.