The Absolute Best Things About Being a Writer

If you wake up in the morning and think about writing, you're a writer. You don't have to be published or renowned, you just have to write. If you are a writer, you will relate to this list.

Days Spent in a Coffee Shop

They say to start writing when you wake up in the morning and the best way to do that is with the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

A lot of writers go to a local cafe with access to wifi and a good cup of joe. There is no better pairing, and as T.S. Eliot said, we have measured our lives in coffee spoons.

Reading Everything

Every writer also has to be an avid reader. The passion to write had to have started somewhere and that's generally through reading another writer's work.

Reading should have its own list of pros, because chances are you love everything about it. The smell of an old book, the smell of a new book, the way it feels in your hands, and, of course, the content. Reading a book is an immersive way to live in another world for a time. Unlike watching a movie, books delve deeper into a plot line and give writers a really good sense of what is right and wrong in literature.

There is nothing better than sipping a hot cup of coffee (or tea), wrapped in blankets, while it's raining outside and you have a good book in your hand. Nothing.

Hopefully, some day, your book is the one in hand and inspiring other potential writers in the process. That's the dream.

Everything is a Potential Story

As a writer, every situation could become a new story or poem. They say to never piss off a writer because you will be written about—and it's true! (Be warned all exes and back-stabbing friends).

On a lighter note, the most beautiful things to happen to a writer will be great story food too. Any strong emotion or interesting thing to happen can be transformed and placed onto a page. The more a writer lives, the better.

When I was younger I had a mantra: anything I did would be "for the story." To be honest, it lead to some really fun situations and I still use it to get creative.

Watching a Story Unfold

Yes, I said watching. A story can come out of nowhere and it can take a writer to places they were not expecting.

There is nothing more exciting than going on a roller coaster ride with a plot and character arcs—even if all of that stuff had been planned before hand. Adding dialogue and an environment can change the direction of a plot line and if it goes your way, you get excited about it.

For the most part, writers know what they like and what they think makes up a good story. If they are swimming in creative brilliance and making themselves happy, chances are readers will like it too!

Falling in Love with Characters

Characters are an extension of the writer. They are either pieces of themselves or people they have known/know. Either way, strong feelings form for their favourite characters, much like a reader, except writers are like the Gods and readers are the worshipers.

Characters are our creations and we love them, we also get sad when we have to kill them off. When they develop into round characters it is satisfying and we feel like we've done our duty as writers.

Writing as an Outlet

It doesn't matter if it's a novel, poem, or a journal entry, writing helps let the demons out.

A lot of creative types have to deal with complex emotions and a good way to understand them (in a healthy way) is to have a creative outlet—like, writing, music, or art.

Writing is great because you can literally put down on paper how you feel. It's cathartic at the time, and in my experience, later on when you read it. It's a reminder of how you felt and what you thought at a point in time and how you dealt with it.

Finishing a Piece of Writing

Feeling accomplished after polishing up your final draft is a great feeling.

There are cons to being a writer and the process can be difficult, but it's worth it when you're content with what you've made.

In the end, the best thing about being a writer is creating something out of, seemingly, thin air, and making it a part of the great fabric of life. We live in a world with countless books, which can be off-putting, but making even the smallest dent in the stack is a great accomplishment.