10 Ways to Identify a Writer

DiAnn Mills                     @diannmills

We writers can be a bit eccentric, sometimes bizarre, and those who love us may wonder if we need to be on meds. The truth is we’re creative people, and we look at life a little differently. You may be wondering if you’re a writer or suspect someone close to you is a writer because you’ve seen how they string words together into memorable passages.

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any."
– Orson Scott Card

Take a look at the following characteristics of a writer.

1. Writers explore people, places, and things. We want to see how life is impacted by every object placed on and around our planet. We are filled with curiosity and love to explore the world.

2. Some of us have a difficult time paying attention because we are always in our creative writing mode. Our minds wander, so our responses to questions are often quirky. It’s not that we don’t care what is happening. The possibilities dancing in our mind is more powerful than reality.

3. We wear our emotions like a model wears a designer outfit. Many life experiences are expressed through our tear ducts.

4. I’m an early morning riser. While the rest of the world is sleeping, I’m wired to write while the sun awaits it’s appearance on the horizon. Some writers treasure late nights. They don’t come alive until the sun goes down. Embrace when your mind can focus and work best.

5. We’d rather listen and watch what is going on instead of being the center of attention. Time speeds past us, and we are oblivious to the rest of the world. We prefer it that way.

6. We’re comfortable in our own skin. Our minds are filled with nonfiction topics or characters from our stories, and we can choose with whom we want to spend our hours.

7. It’s personal. It’s who we are. The beauty of the written word gives us purpose. Yet sometimes we are melancholy.

8. We manage life in our own time. Change is great when it’s our idea, but not when it comes from someone else.

9. We scribble outside the lines, blend colors, and allow possibilities to embrace our minds and heart. Play is vital to mental health, and truth matters instinctively.

10. We imagine ourselves in other worlds, and we fit just fine.



There you have my 10 ways to identify a writer. Or perhaps you’re creative in other areas. What is an identifier for you?

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure? Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is the director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Marketing Conference, and the Mountainside Novelist Retreat with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful.



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