Mandy (mandywriter) and I came up with this:

You know you’re a writer when…

…your friends invite you to parties, and you think “Crap. How am I going to get in some computer time amidst all this?”

…when you’re having a conversation with someone, you make note of some of their quotes to use in future novels.

…it pisses you off when you buy a book and it totally sucks, and all you can think is “I write better than this.”

…you know the difference between Chick-Lit, Hen-Lit, Lad-Lit, and Mommy-Lit.

…you have more critique partners than real-life friends.

…you go up to a shelf in a bookstore and make room for the place your book is going to be.

…you read Miss Snark.

…while buying a book, you brag to the cashier at a bookstore about how you know the writer, because she’s your critique partner or she has the same agent, or you once emailed her five months ago.

…you know what a synopsis is, and how much writing one sucks.

…your spouse knows the names of all your characters, because you talk about them like they’re real people.

…your spouse knows what said characters would do when confronted with a moral crisis.

…the words PROPOSAL, ADVANCE, and QUERY mean something to you.

…you have a thumb drive, a CD burner, a stack of 3.5 inch floppies, and an email address… all devoted to backing up your stories.

…you speak of your favorite author as if s/he is an A-list movie star.

…you’re more excited about an autographed book than your anniversary, which you’re skipping to stand in line at a book convention.

…you have regular breakdowns regarding the quality of your work and the futility of an actual career.

…you routinely post on your LJ that you’re a total hack and no one will ever buy your book.

…the next day, you tell everyone how amazing your book is, and how well things are going.

…when you finally sign with an agent/sell a book, the first place you go is to your LJ to share the news.

…you know what NaNoWriMo is.

…you attempt NaNoWriMo.

…and you post word count meters on your LJ.

…no matter what happens, no matter how many rejections you get, how many breakdowns you have, you cannot stop writing. It’s a part of your soul, your life. A part of you.

Happy Writing, everyone! :)

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)