Are you a writer?

1. Spies bug your house and hear the tapatapatapatap of a keyboard. What could all this activity be?

a. Work, e.g. writing up expense reports.
b. Social interaction, e.g. emails.
c. The creation of new worlds and new people and the unfolding of all their stories.

2. The movie started out with a good idea that fell flat for want of characters, plot, etc. You walk out thinking,

a. What a waste of money! I wonder if there’s any way I could get a refund.
b. What a waste of time! Before I watch another film I’ll read all the reviews.
c. What a waste of potential! If the heroine was a member of the secret organization before her accident – no, better yet, if she founded the organization – she’d be so much more proactive. And it should be a near-fatal accident. And set on Mars! Wow, this could make a great story...

3. As your first-ever manuscript garners rejection after rejection, you start to feel tired and dispirited. How do you recuperate?

a. By buying yourself something nice.
b. By taking a day off to do something relaxing, like going to a spa or a museum.
c. By starting another story, one where the plucky protagonist faced even worse obstacles and triumphed. This one’s going to be even better, you just know it!

4. What does the word vanity make you think of?

a. Ecclesiastes 1:2.
b. A dressing-table.
c. PublishAmerica.

5. What external motivation does a writer need to come up with a good manuscript?

a. A hefty advance check.
b. Booze, and lots thereof.
c. Nothing. Drop a writer on a desert island and he’ll scratch stories onto coconut leaves. Probably send out query letters in corked bottles too.

Was your score mostly c’s? Then close this window and get back to your writing. Leaving a comment first is fine, though. :)