Do You Have The Writing Bug?

As someone who talks for a living, some people are surprised when I tell them that my favourite thing is writing stuff down. It is a passion which has taken over my spare time and I absolutely love it. My first choice pastime is writing, closely followed by reading. One feeds into another in an interconnected cycle.

I wonder how many of you have caught the writing bug. Below are some questions to consider when trying to decide whether or not you are a writing addict.

When you wake up, do you feel the writing urge?

As soon as you open your eyes do you have an idea that you desperately need to write down? It happens to me a lot. I scribble it down on a post-it note or even send myself a text so that I don’t lose the idea on a busy work day.

This also occurs just when I am about to sleep and I find I cannot rest properly until I have found a way to record that little snippet of inspiration.

Is writing on your mind at work?

Let’s be honest, it can be very easy to drift off into your imagination, especially when you are doing a task that doesn’t quite fulfil your dreams.

If writing is on your mind, then possibly writing is the real career that you would be best suited to. For me, I plan to work part time in my workplace and a few days at home exploring my writing dreams. I cannot wait till September when this becomes a reality.

How many times have you desperately tried to find a way to note an idea down?

Is it me or do you also find that the best ideas arise when you have no means of getting them recorded? You can be driving or in the queue at a supermarket till. Usually ideas pop into my mind when my hands are full or I am too busy to record them.

I can be going for a run and see a couple arguing and think of a story idea or driving along with nowhere to stop and jot my thoughts down.

I would say if this has happened to you at least once a week for the last few months then you probably are addicted to writing too.

Do you get so involved with what you are writing that you forget that you wrote it?

Sometimes I get engrossed in a short story that I am working on and kind of detach myself from it. I start believing that the characters are real and wishing someone would tell me what happens next.

Then I realise that their life stories depend on my imagination and I reawaken to the fact that their future is in my hands alone. This makes me even more excited. I love rereading my work and discovery new things.

So what did you decide?

After considering the prompts that I included in this post, have you decided whether you currently have the writing bug or not?

If it is an illness then it is a rewarding one although it can sometimes flare up when it develops into that well known symptom - writers’ block. This can be overcome with a little dose of rest and reading, before subsiding and returning you to an inspired state.

If writing gives you a way to express yourself and makes you feel a sense of achievement then you are a writer. You probably have this writing bug that many speak about. The only cure is to feed it with opportunities by writing down whtevwr stories emerge in your mind.