20 Things Every Writer can Relate to

Are you a writer or you have a writer friend, lover, family member, or colleague.

Do people find it hard to understand you or are there some things you do that make you seem odd among non-writers? 

If you live with a writer and some of their behaviors seem strange to you and you sometimes wonder why they are so weird.

Then you’re in the right place.

Writers are such creative and often misunderstood people. When you think of writers you probably imagine a person sitting in a coffee shop typing away on their laptop.

Or you’re probably imagining a person sitting among many books trying to get their typewriter to type their heart into the paper.

Well, these are interesting and true ways to see writers.

Yet, there are things only writers will understand or things their close acquaintances will be able to relate to and be able to point at them and say ‘this is so you.’

If you’re a writer, you should at least be able to relate to half of these things.

20 things every writer can relate to

It doesn’t matter what kind of writing you do, you will relate to these things:

1

The ache on the neck and shoulders

Especially if you don’t have the right chair to aid your posture and the right table or laptop stand. 

Prepare for severe pain on your body, especially your neck, shoulders, and arms.

It can get worse and result in extreme back aches if you write without a back support.

Check out some home office decor ideas for ideas on the right chairs and desks you need as a writer.

2

The next creative idea that can slip away with a little distraction

This is something I’m sure a lot of writers can relate to. 

That moment you’re writing and it seems to be flowing and going smoothly, and then a sound erupts from nearby or someone calls your name or tries to get your attention and the creative flow stops abruptly.

You now start to wonder if you should kill the person that distracted you or you should just gently sit back and beg the words to come back.

3

The littlest sound that can take you away from the creative world

It could be any sound. Even sounds you wouldn’t hear on a normal day. 

It could be the sound of a beep from your phone or a notification from your computer.

When you’re fully invested in writing, the sound just comes from nowhere and drags you back to the real world.

One thing that can prevent this occasional yet avoidable distraction is to find a good quiet and less distracting place to write and also turn off notifications from your phone and computer for the few hours or minutes you want to write, so you can concentrate fully.

You can try using the Freedom app on your computer or use Focus chrome extension apps (check out my freelance resources for more) that will silence every notification on your computer or phone while you write until you turn it off.

4

The feeling of not wanting to write at all 

There are days like that where you will just start questioning why you started writing in the first place. 

Days when writing will seem like a stain you need to clean off your life.

This can also be caused by a negative feedback on your writing, a client that didn’t pay, or a book that refuses to sell.

This can cause you to start doubting your writing altogether.

This can also be as a result of writer’s burnout. You can check this article to learn more about writer’s burnout and how to deal with it.

5

Writer’s block

This is the bane of a writer’s existence. That moment you want to write but you don’t know what to write, how to write it, or where to start from and you just need answers.

Ideas are not coming and you’re afraid you’ll eventually have nothing to write.

Most times this is not true but you might not know this at first. 

A walk, taking a break from writing for a while, reading a book, or listening to music can help you get the creative juice flowing again.

Sometimes, just write. Just start writing. The moment you start writing, somehow you’ll eventually know what to write.

6

How people’s feedbacks matters to you

This is probably something we don’t get often but we still love to hear.

Feedback from a client. Feedback from a reader who loves your work. Whether positive or negative. 

You just want to know what someone else thinks about your work because it took a lot of courage and practice to put yourself out there.

7

When someone asks you to teach them how to write

This is probably one thing most writers get a lot. And most times, these people are not ready to put in the hard work, the sleepless nights, the curiosity, knack for learning, and ability to do new things.

They just think writing must be interesting and they want you to teach them.

8

When you finally release the words in your heart 

This is the most relieving part of writing. Even as I write this article, I write it with relief.

I am finally putting down something I’ve only had in my head for the longest time.

I am finally helping people get a glimpse of my mind.

It feels very good.

Related post: 4 Reasons Content Writers should know SEO in 2022

All You Need to Know About Content Writing + How to Become a Content Writer | Part 2

9

When you forget just one word and you can’t continue writing

This is both stressful and worrisome.

You were writing a long paragraph and suddenly you don’t know what to write. You know what should be there but you can’t seem to find the word to describe it.

Sometimes, I even go the extra mile to search on google or the dictionary.

Other times, I give up and change the word and sometimes the god of creativity smiles on me and I remember. Hehe.

10

When you know you killed that writing

You feel like ‘There’s nothing you can tell me, I know I did my best on that piece.’

You know you did great.

 You’d confidently refer people to read your work. You know you did a great job and you’re not afraid to say it.

11

When someone says you can’t write because there were few typos in your work

I see a lot of people put these comments on writer’s posts. ‘How can you call yourself a writer and still have typos in your writing?’

‘How come there are no big words in your writing?’

These words sometimes piss writers off but people are bound to say them.

A lot of people don’t know that when a person writes fast or writes their first draft, there are bound to be many mistakes. And if a person can write a first draft and put it out there, and you can read it comprehensively, the person must be a genius.

 People also don’t know that writing big words doesn’t make you a good writer because people will find it hard to understand (which is the point of writing in the first place—to help readers get the point you’re passing across).

It is better to write words even children will be able to grasp when they read.

12

When you have to explain the importance of research

When someone wants you to write for them and they say can you write this?

I usually say ‘if I can research it, I can write it.’

There’s no great writing without research

This is one things every writer will know.

“To write is human, to research is divine”

13

When it remains just few words to hit that word count but you’ve written everything you know

This can be tiring. That moment you have to try your best to explain words you didn’t explain before or to write more on something you had finished writing on.

This can be really funny and aggravating at the same time.

14

When you’ve never written on a topic before but you start writing and it is surprisingly easy to write.

This has happened to me a lot of times. 

When I get an opportunity to write on a niche or topic I have never written before and I’m worried I won’t do so great but I end up writing half of the required words without research.

15

When you put the full stop at the end of your writing

When you finish writing any work at all and you know you’re done (even if it’s your first draft), there’s this peace, pleasure, and peace (again) that comes upon your heart.

It’s divine.

16 

When you take a break from writing after a while

After writing for long hours at a stretch and you finally decide to take a break. 

There’s this overwhelming relief. This pleasurable feeling.

This relief that comes to your hands, your mind, and you just want to sleep or rest, or do something exciting.

Other posts in writing: What is Ghostwriting? Who is a Ghostwriter? How much should you charge?

How to Know if You have Writer’s Burnout

17

When you talk to yourself

A lot of writers—and creative people, get this strange look from people every time, because they are usually known to talk to themselves.

I talk to myself when I watch Kdrama. I talk to myself when I need to remember something while I write and it’s not coming. I talk to myself when I need to put characters together in a story. 

I talk to myself when I can’t get the right words in a sentence.

It’s a fun life for writers.

18

That feeling of rejection

A writer is probably less worried about a crush’s rejection than someone rejecting their writing or writing application.

When someone rejects your writing, you probably feel like the whole world is against you. You feel discouraged. You feel like quitting. 

It can be really sad. But we also know how to pick ourselves up and keep going until someone notices our skills and talents or until readers start reviewing our books and say they love it.

19

When you have to read several articles just to write few words

That moment you need to write on a topic but you don’t know much about it and you have to read like 10 articles just to get a paragraph going.

It gets worse when after reading all these articles you still don’t know what you’re supposed to write for the next 2000+ words.

20

When people talk to you while you’re writing and you snub them

People who live with writers will get this a lot.

I have snubbed my friends and families several times because I know if I answer them at the time they called for me or questioned me, I will end up forgetting what I wanted to write.

This results in me apologizing and explaining what was going on in my head at the time I was being spoken to.

Sometimes I even get angry and shout at the person calling me, trying to explain to them that they just took away a bestseller idea or word from me when they called me, but I end up getting this ‘you’re insane’ look every time.

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Do you relate to any of these? Let me know in the comments section. It will be a fun discussion section for writers.

If you also have other relatable situations, kindly share in the comment section.

If you’re a family, lover, colleague or friend of a writer, also share your experience with writers with us.