We’ve all seen them, all taken them, those quizzes in Cosmo, Vogue, Elle magazines that teach us who we are, but more importantly, who we can be if we change our ways, find our limits, secure our sanity by taking five minutes to choose A – B – C.
Today I’ve put together a little quiz of my own to show you just what kind of writer you are. Answer the 5 questions, and your true writer self will emerge.
1) When meeting your cousin at the airport whom you haven’t seen in ten years, do you….?
A) Know her immediately, give her a big hug, and welcome her with enthusiastic affection.
B) Look around carefully at the other people in baggage claim to make sure she’s your cousin before giving her a stiff hug.
C) Hold a placard up at the terminal exit.
D) Cry when you realize it’s your cousin ELLEN, not EILEEN.
2) Your husband/S.O. offers to go to the grocery store and comes back with nothing you put on the list. Do you….?
A) Say, “That’s okay, honey, I’ve always wanted to learn how to cook Brazilian Thai.
B) Pull the stuff out of the bags, put it away, and say nothing.
C) Leave the stuff in the bags, and take it all back to the store the next day.
D) Cry when he says, “I couldn’t read your handwriting.”
3) You’ve just finished reading the latest best-seller all your friends have been raving about. It wasn’t all that. Do you….?
A) Find the good scenes and discuss those at your book club.
B) Pass the book along to your cousin, and when she asks, “How was it?” say “Okay.”
C) Go straight to Amazon and write an unfavorable review.
D) Cry because you know your book that’s been in your hard drive for 6 years is soooo much better.
4) At the gas station, fifteen minutes before a huge presentation at work, you accidentally spill gas down your leg and into your brand new $100- high heels. Do you….?
A) Stop off at the mall, grab a pair of new shoes and nylons before heading to the office.
B) Go into the Ladies Room, take off your nylons, wash the shoes, and head to the office.
C) Go to the office smelling like gasoline, there’s no time to do anything about it.
D) Cry. Now you won’t be able to return the shoes.
5) Your mother says she hates your new haircut. Do you….?
A) Say, “Don’t worry, it’ll grow out soon.”
B) Go into the bathroom, wash your hair, and style it the way you normally do.
C) Go back to the salon and have them give you a pixie.
D) Cry because you knew it was drastic and if your mother hates it, then so will everyone else.
If you answered A to most of the questions, you’re a CHEERLEADER –
No one will get you down. Not agents, publishers or your beta/critters. The book you’re writing is fantastic and when it needs work, you do it gladly because you know it’s going to get accepted and will be a best-seller. You’re on every social media site, have zillions of followers, and have done everything you know how to build that platform. Go YOU!
If you answered B to most of the questions, you’re a DOCTOR –
Writing is hard work. You know it and accept it. You’re informed and well read and go about the business of writing your fourth novel knowing some day you will be published. You’ve built a modest following on three social media sites, know what your platform is, and never stray from that. You’re not afraid of rewriting and revising.
If you answered C to most of the questions, you’re an ACUTARY –
You have no need for frills or friends. You only deal in facts. You write doggedly and determinedly, craft books by the bed for light reading. If you can’t get an agent to look at THIS book, you’ll write another. You’ve spent years honing the craft, memorizing genre guidelines, you know who you are and what you want – to be a mid-list author with a guaranteed income. You have a blog with a few followers, and Tweet occasionally. You don’t have time for social media. You’re a writer.
If you answered D to most of the questions, you’re a MESS –
Take some time, do some research on writing and genre, grab some craft books, get on the blogs, become informed. Learn sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, find some beta readers, invest in Kleenex. Getting critiques, losing contests, and finding rejections from agents and publishers in your inbox takes a thick skin. If you can’t handle the pressure, put your pen down and walk away. Not everyone with a great idea for a story can write one.
Thanks for taking the quiz. So tell me, WHAT KIND OF WRITER ARE YOU?
