Top Ten Things Writers Do that are Seen as Odd

Sometimes, when writing a story, things go well. Other times, things go wrong. What you can always count on, though, are things that some might think are strange.
The Top Ten
1 They see their characters as real people, but confined within the walls of the mind and page
2 They find that their world and characters are quite prominent in their dreams

Sometimes I dream about my characters; they can wake me up an ungodly hour, and I have to write the dream in my journal there and then, or I fear of losing a potentially good piece forever.

I dream about my stories all the time. Usually it ends up being me and my friends with the personalities of the characters that are the most like us.

3 They are able to tell what another writer was feeling when writing a story

This entry comes from when I was reading Wings of Fire book 5. It was around then that I truly saw myself as a writer, and all of a sudden, I saw past the page, and into what the author felt while writing. It's kind of like empathy: I was able to understand what they felt, but not through reading expression and vocal tone. Rather, it was through how happy or dark the book was. When any book I read from then on got sad, for example, I remembered losing one of my own characters, and could tell that they, too, were sad while writing the scene. See my list entry for how characters can seem like real people for a basic explanation for why the writer was sad.

I found this with Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris. It was written so cleverly, that it seemed more of a journey of her thought process and open emotions. It seemed more of a biography of the author rather than her main character.

4 They write at odd hours

I find that I usually write better early in the morning, but all of my ideas come late at night. Once I had an idea for a story around 8:00 P.M. and kept myself up super late to think about it.

If inspiration hits and I get a "eureka" moment at 5.13 A.M. I can't help but go with it. I write at all times. Mainly though, I like to set a time to sit down and write - usually around 7 A.M.

I'm often up late. Or early, if you're looking at the AM/PM time system.

5 They look at the small, unneeded details in everything

look, there's something called making the book not rushed. If you are a writer you would know. Because if you put aside all the small details you would simply complain that the book is too rushed. Writing a book is not easy and if you try yourself, unnecessary details are among the most important factors of writing

6 They see reality as a template
7 They rewrite things many times over

If a piece I've written doesn't sound right when I read it out loud, I rewrite it until it feels right.

Either way you don't want your stories to look as rushed.

8 They push on, despite knowing that their project may not be excellent

Great list, Cyri. I find I can't leave any piece of writing unfinished; even if I leave it to "cool" for weeks at a time, I'll always go back to it and usually find that after the break, I see it with new eyes and I'm able to carry on.

9 They remake the same thing many times, only to get it right once
10 They write characters that are totally unlike them

It's fun writing characters that differ completely from your own character. I love writing in the viewpoint and 'voice' of rather bolshie, loud and arrogant males, or cunning and manipulative females. It's just fun experimenting with different styles and viewpoints, and seeing how far you can stretch your imagination. It's a most satisfactory feeling when you feel you've accomplished it.

I love being able to write about people (or creatures) with personalities that are so different from mine. Although I often make at least a few characters that are my split personality. Sometimes when I'm bored, I'll just make up random characters for things I've read, and imagine my life if I were like them.

How is this unusual? EDIT (again a year later): I kind of think the comment I made was unnecessary and kind of hypocritical of me considering I was and still am an avid writer

The Contenders
11 They cry themselves to sleep thinking about the horrible things they do to their characters
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