Are you a fiction writer?

Are you a fiction writer?  Well, if you have ever put ink to paper in the form of a made up story then the answer is yes, you are a fiction writer.

Okay, now that we have gotten that out of the way and established that pretty much anyone still reading this is a writer of fiction let's delve into which type of fiction writer you are.  Trust me there is a reason for this.

I have talked with friends and family about whether writing is a hobby.  Some have even called it a past-time.  I have talked with fellow writers that say it is more of an addiction.  These are important definitions.  The funny thing is that people define them differently.

Here are my thoughts on them.

If you have written some and are happy with what you have done then you probably do not fit into any of these  categories.  You may be an author though if you completed the story.  Congratulations!!

If you occasionally sit down to put thoughts to paper, even if it is virtual paper, then you probably are safe to call it a hobby.

If you are passionate about the craft and you put aside time to delve into it then I would safely say that you have writing as a past-time.

Now for the other category.  You may fit in here if you have the story running through you all through your day and you cannot wait until you can sit down to put your thoughts down and see where the story continues to take you.  You fit into this story if no matter how hard you try to put the story to the side it refuses to let you go.  You are definitely addicted to writing when you feel lost when you are not writing.  There are positive things that can flow from this type of addiction but be warned, like other addictions there are functional members and those that cease to be functional.  Remember that to be able to continue pursuing your writing you have to attend to the other areas of your life as well.  Showering is still a good thing to do!
Seriously, the better health you are in the better your stories will be.  The better the rest of your life is the more you will be able to focus on your craft.  Granted there are great stories that come from pain and suffering in the real world.  More often than not these tragedies overwhelm us and we can only write about them after time goes by and we have a bit more perspective.

That is my main reason for writing this.  Remember to keep things in perspective.  No matter what your level of passion is for writing keep it in perspective with the other parts of your life.

I wish you all the very best to live the best life you can.

All the best,

T. L. Scott