If you’ve been on social media lately, you’ve probably seen posts for the #TellMeChallenge (aka Tell Me Without Telling Me), a social game where you find a way to reply without using the words in the challenge. Variations have included “Tell me you’re an artist without telling me you’re an artist” and “Tell me you’re a parent without telling me you’re a parent.” At Writer’s Relief, we decided to give it a whirl and come up with inventive ways you can say “I’m a writer” without using the words “I’m a writer.” Here’s the challenge: Tell us you’re a writer without telling us you’re a writer! What would you add to this list?
How To Say “I’m A Writer” Without Saying “I’m A Writer”
- I have a bookshelf dedicated entirely to notebooks, but none of them are written in.
- Somehow, my To-Be-Read pile is bigger than my Have-Read pile and is growing every day.
- All of my pens have chewed caps from hours spent staring at a blank page.
- I keep a notebook next to my bed so I can write down my dreams first thing in the morning.
- I have a part of my monthly budget set aside specifically for literary magazine subscriptions.
- My room is littered with scraps of notebook paper.
- The Notes app on my phone is filled with snippets of poems or random lines that belong in my current work in progress.
- I carry a tiny notebook around everywhere with me. Inspiration could strike at any moment!
- My brain is full of fun, random facts, and I can’t help but share them with anyone I encounter.
- I have a drawer in my desk full of unfinished and abandoned manuscripts, short stories, or poems.
- Speaking of overflowing desk drawers, I also have a drawer dedicated to flash drives and external hard drives, because I know (from experience) how important it is to back up my work.
- I have more than one open Word document on my computer at all times.
- I always carry a pen.
- I think of my characters as real people, and sometimes forget that they are, in fact, creations of my imagination.
- I am the friend everyone comes to for book recommendations.
- I read a book once for the story, and then every reread after that is to dissect how the author wrote it.
- I keep an active Goodreads account.
- I exist in one of two camps: Books are sacred and never to be marred, or all of my books have underlines, highlights, and dog-eared pages.
- If a friend sees my Internet search history, I feel the need to reassure them that the contents were for book research.
- I can name my top three favorite authors, no problem.
- I can name my top three favorite books too, but it takes a bit more thought.
- I am often sequestered with a laptop or a notebook.
- I am constantly asking other writers if they have advice about how to defeat writer’s block.
- The sides of my hands are smudged with ink from writing in that notebook I always carry.
- I proofread everything, especially restaurant menus.
- Sometimes I think the only sustenance I need comes in the form of tea and coffee.
- I talk to my plants (or my dog, or my mirror) in my characters’ voices so I can hear the dialogue out loud. It’s important for it to sound authentic!
- I get incredibly attached to the characters in my favorite books.
- I use plot-related words like “deus ex machina” while watching a movie with my family.
- I listen to a lot of instrumental music.
- I have a favorite brand of pen and notebook.
- All of my friends know they can expect me to send them my work to read, because I want to get as many eyes on it as possible to help me revise.
- I have a 13-inch laptop with nothing but Scrivener installed, and I carry it everywhere.
- The bulletin board on my wall is filled with pins and note cards that get rearranged often.
- My friends come to me for procrastination tips.
- Awesome weekend plans = hanging out in a bookstore.
- I have 10 different WIP files on my computer with the same name.
- I am always randomly staring off into space.
- I have a vitamin D deficiency because I rarely go outside.
- I read all the way to the end of this list!
Question: Which of these “I’m a writer” statements do you identify with most?
Can totally relate to every point!!
I can relate to 90% of them but no.1 especially
So many truths! And so many more ideas! Hah!
Your heart was in the right place – or maybe you were just having fun? I don’t know – somehow we are better than this.
Pretty much all of them! 😂