Welcome to another round of Writers Reveal! Once again, I’m pressing pause on the story behind my first “novel” to write about a topic sent by one of the amazing writers in our group. This month’s prompt comes from Ashley Howland, who suggested we write about “quirky writer’s habits”. Thanks for the prompt, Ashley! Here goes nothing!

The Quirky Things I Do

Yes, I consider myself a quirky person. What writer doesn’t to a certain degree? We all have our strange habits: some help us find inspiration for our writing, some give us the motivation we need to create, and some are just byproducts of the odd ideas in our minds. But they’re all part of what makes us the unique people we are.

So what are some of my quirks? I have quite a few, actually:

1. I get up and walk around while brainstorming for a story.
2. I make faces and mouth words when thinking about the dialogue between my characters.
3. I sing and/or dance when I’m alone (or at least I think I’m alone).
4. I reread favorite books from my childhood out loud.
5. I talk to myself as if the voices in my head are having a conversation.

And these are just the quirks related to my writing!

Old Habits, New Ideas

I’m not afraid to admit my quirks, but don’t mistake them for the random acts of a geek (which I am, but that’s beside the point). Although I’ve been practicing these habits for a long time, they’re almost always helpful to my writing, even if it’s just to fight off the inevitable stress of a creative block. How so, you ask?

1) I walk around because I’m the type of person who thinks better when moving than when sitting still.

2) I subconsciously move my face in sync with scenes playing out in my head. This helps me get a better sense of how certain ideas will (or won’t) work in a story I’m planning.

3) I sing and dance to release tension. Music inspires me to create and motivates me to keep writing when I feel stuck. Plus it’s loads of fun!

4) I read books out loud as an exercise to get a feel of narrative voice. This is especially fun to do with Dr. Seuss’s stories, which almost always have rhyme and rhythm.

5) I talk to myself to get the words in my mind out in the open. I don’t care if it makes me seem crazy sometimes; it’s a great way to clear my head and hear how some of my ideas sound out loud.

Writers have their fair share of quirks (as most artists likely do), but in the best cases, we can make them work to our advantage. Our habits are much more than average idiosyncrasies; they help shape our artistic spirits and spark our creativity. And if not, at least we can take comfort in knowing they keep us from being utterly boring!

What are some of your quirks? Are they ever helpful to your creativity?

This has been a special topic post for Writers Reveal, a monthly blog swap among several talented writers. Be sure to check out the other blogs participating in the event. Thanks for reading!

Other bloggers in Writers Reveal
Melissa Khalinsky: Melissa Writes
Becky Fyfe: Imagine! Create! Write!
Rhianna: A Parenting Life
Ashley Howland: Ghostnapped
Emily Hawker: You Learn Something New Every Day