by Patricia Bradley, @PTBradley1

I thought I’d have a little fun with the post today…goodness knows after the last ten months, I think we all can use a little fun! 

I came to writing rather late in life–at the age of thirty-five. That’s when these people moved into my head and wouldn’t go away until I wrote their stories. And I remember wondering when I could call myself a writer. Have you ever thought about how writers really know they’re writers? Here are a few of my thoughts on the matter.

You might be a writer…

• If you’re sitting in a family restaurant interviewing a police captain on how murderers get away with their crimes while the diners closest to you edge away…
• If you’re walking down the grocery aisle and people are staring at you and you realize you’ve been working out your latest plot line…out loud
• If you have a cat who sits on your computer keyboard and helps you…
• If you pray for jury duty so you can know what it’s like to be a juror…
• If you take pottery lessons for the same reason…
• If this makes sense to you: “I got a request for a proposal from (fill in the blank). They want three chapters and a synopsis, and you know how I hate to write a synopsis. And I’m not sure if I want to resolve the romantic conflict or save it for the next book…
• If you keep a notebook by your bed so you can write the brilliant conversations that come to you in the middle of the night…

• If you’ve ever gotten someone to tie your hands behind your back so you can see how long it takes to get loose…
•  If you walked around the house blindfolded to see if your other senses really become heightened…
• If you put the time your Aunt Louise tried to shoot her second husband in your book, disguised of course, and convince yourself that none of the family will recognize her…
• If someone comes up to you and a writer friend in a restaurant and says, “I heard you talking and finally figured it out—you two must be writers. All that stuff you were talking about couldn’t happen for real. Not in this town…”
• If you get depressed because you can’t keep your character from making a really dumb mistake…
• If you spend more money on writing aids and retreats and conferences than you’ve received for your stories…

If you answer yes to any of these ifs, then no question about it, you’re a writer. 

Oh, one last statement: if you spend your time talking to imaginary people and putting their stories to paper, then you can definitely call yourself a writer.

Do you have questions to add? Leave it in a comment!

 

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Standoff (Natchez Trace Park Rangers Book #1)

The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It’s the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for park ranger Luke Fereday, lately it’s being used to move drugs. Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers.

John’s daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father’s murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear, and Brooke soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her. Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who’s going to keep him safe when he realizes he’s falling–hard–for the daughter of the man he failed to save?

Winner of an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award in Suspense and a 2018 Carol finalist, Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi with her rescue kitty, Suzy. Her romantic suspense books include the Logan Point series and the Memphis Cold Case Novels. She also has written sweet romances for Harlequin Heartwarming available as e-books.