Fictional Fixation

If you write fiction, there is a very good chance you have done something that would look completely bizarre to a non-writer.

You have probably argued with an imaginary person.

You have probably whispered dialogue to yourself while making coffee.

You have probably stared into space for ten minutes because you suddenly figured out exactly how a fictional character should respond to something that happened three chapters ago.

You may have even changed a character’s name because you saw a stranger in a supermarket who “looked like a better version of him.”

And somehow, all of this feels completely normal.

Because writers have a strange little secret:

Writing fiction changes the way you experience ordinary life.

Your brain is constantly collecting details, rewriting conversations, inventing possibilities, observing strangers, and turning completely mundane moments into potential scenes.

Most people don’t talk about these habits because, well… how do you explain them without sounding slightly unhinged?

Fortunately, you’re among friends.

Here are some of the weird things fiction writers do that nobody talks about nearly enough.

1. We Talk to Characters Who Don’t Exist

Not out loud.

Usually.

But definitely in our heads.

You know the scene. You’re writing along perfectly happily when suddenly your character does something completely unexpected.

You stop.

“Why would you do that?”

Your character, apparently having developed their own personality, refuses to cooperate.

So you argue with them.

You explain why their decision makes no sense.

They disagree.

You rewrite the scene.

They still disagree.

Eventually you realize that the character was right all along.

Congratulations.

Your imaginary person has won an argument against you.

This happens because characters can become surprisingly consistent once you’ve spent enough time developing their personalities, motivations, fears, and desires.

Eventually, you aren’t simply deciding what they do.

You’re asking:

“What would this particular person actually do?”

And sometimes the answer is inconvenient.

2. We Mentally Rewrite Conversations

This one is almost universal.

You have a completely ordinary conversation with someone.

Hours later, you’re washing your hair when your brain suddenly goes:

You should have said that.

And then:

Actually, you should have said THIS.

And then:

Wait. What if you had said THAT instead?

Suddenly you’re running an entire alternate conversation in your head.

Writers are particularly good at this because we’re accustomed to exploring possibilities.

We don’t just remember conversations.

We edit them.

We add sharper dialogue.

We improve comebacks.

We imagine different reactions.

We create emotional subtext that wasn’t there the first time.

And occasionally, we accidentally steal a fantastic line from an ordinary conversation and immediately think:

“That is going in a book.”

3. Every Stranger Is Potentially a Character

You’re walking through a shopping centre.

A man walks past wearing an unusual coat.

Character.

A woman at the café is aggressively typing on her laptop.

Character.

Someone is arguing on the phone.

Definitely character.

Someone has a particularly interesting tattoo.

You have already invented their entire backstory.

You don’t even mean to do it.

Writers are natural observers.

We notice mannerisms, speech patterns, clothing, expressions, gestures, accents, habits, and little contradictions.

The person tapping their foot while pretending not to be nervous?

Useful.

The waiter who keeps adjusting his glasses whenever someone asks a question?

Useful.

The woman who orders an elaborate coffee and then immediately checks her phone three times?

Somehow, also useful.

Of course, observing people doesn’t mean assuming you know their actual lives.

You’re simply collecting details.

Or, as writers like to call it:

research.

4. We Name Things Constantly

Characters.

Pets.

Places.

Cars.

Businesses.

Fantasy kingdoms.

Spaceships.

Villages that appear for approximately three paragraphs.

A minor character who says two lines?

They still need a name.

And naming characters is rarely as simple as opening a baby-name website and picking something you like.

Suddenly you’re researching:

• Names popular in 1997
• The meaning of obscure Scandinavian surnames
• Whether a particular name sounds too modern
• How wealthy families might name their children
• Historical naming conventions
• Regional surnames
• Names associated with particular professions
• Whether two characters’ names sound too similar

You can spend thirty minutes deciding between two names.

Then change it three chapters later.

And don’t even get started on fantasy names.

Because apparently “John” isn’t good enough when your protagonist is the last surviving heir to an ancient magical dynasty.

Now you need something like Aeltharion Veyrith.

5. We Imagine Scenes During Completely Inappropriate Moments

You are supposed to be sleeping.

Your brain:

What if she walks into the ballroom and realizes he’s the person she’s been secretly writing letters to?

You are grocery shopping.

Your brain:

What if the villain recognizes the protagonist’s necklace?

You’re brushing your teeth.

Your brain:

The kiss needs to happen here.

You’re trying to fall asleep.

Your brain:

HERE’S THE ENTIRE THIRD ACT.

And suddenly you’re wide awake.

Writers don’t always control when inspiration arrives.

Unfortunately, inspiration seems to have terrible timing.

The middle of an important meeting?

Perfect.

The shower?

Classic.

3:17 a.m.?

Apparently ideal.

The second you sit down specifically to write?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

6. We Keep Notes for Ideas That Make No Sense Yet

Your phone might contain notes like:

“Blue door. Missing tooth. Don’t forget.”

Or:

“He knows but pretends he doesn’t.”

Or:

“Train station??? Maybe.”

Or simply:

“WHAT IF THE MOON IS LYING?”

At the time, these notes make perfect sense.

Three months later, you look at them and have absolutely no idea what you were talking about.

But you keep them anyway.

Because somewhere in your writer brain is the belief that Future You will understand.

Sometimes Future You does.

Sometimes Future You creates an entirely new story from a sentence written at 2 a.m.

7. We Hear Dialogue Everywhere

Certain phrases can trigger an entire scene.

Someone says:

“Don’t look at me like that.”

Your brain immediately supplies:

Like what?

Like I’m still in love with you.

And suddenly you’re emotionally invested in two fictional people who don’t even exist yet.

Writers are constantly listening for dialogue.

Not necessarily deliberately.

We notice how people phrase things.

We notice interruptions.

We notice sarcasm.

We notice what people don’t say.

And, most importantly, we notice how different people sound.

Because great dialogue isn’t simply about words.

It’s about personality.

A shy character won’t necessarily speak the same way as a confident one.

A sarcastic character won’t respond like a painfully sincere character.

A character who is hiding something might answer a completely different question than the one they were asked.

And writers love noticing those little differences.

8. We Cast Our Characters Without Casting Them

Sometimes you don’t even have a specific actor in mind.

You simply know:

“He has that kind of face.”

What kind?

You don’t know.

But you’ll know it when you see it.

Then one day you’re watching a movie and someone appears on screen.

You freeze.

That’s him.

Not literally, obviously.

But suddenly you have a visual reference for the character you’ve been carrying around in your head.

The same thing happens with voices.

You might hear someone speaking and think:

That is exactly how she sounds.

Congratulations.

Your character now has a voice.

This can make writing dialogue significantly easier because you can almost hear the rhythm of their speech.

9. We Assign Personalities to Objects

This is especially dangerous when you’re writing fantasy or children’s fiction.

A house isn’t just a house.

It’s that house.

The old desk isn’t furniture.

It has personality.

The beat-up car has history.

The protagonist’s favourite mug is practically a supporting character.

And don’t even get started on fictional weapons.

You give a sword a name and suddenly it has more personality than three secondary characters.

10. We Get Emotionally Attached to People We Created

This is perhaps the least weird and most understandable one.

You created these people.

You gave them childhoods.

You gave them fears.

You gave them dreams.

You watched them fall in love.

You watched them make terrible decisions.

You watched them lose people.

So when something awful happens to them, you’re upset.

Even though you caused it.

You wrote the heartbreak.

You planned the betrayal.

You decided someone needed to die.

And then you sit there crying while writing the scene.

Writer logic:

“I can’t believe this happened to them.”

Also writer logic:

“I did this.”

11. We Sometimes Avoid Writing Because We Know What Happens Next

People assume writers procrastinate because they don’t know what to write.

Sometimes it’s the opposite.

You know exactly what happens.

And you don’t want to do it.

Maybe the next chapter contains a breakup.

Maybe someone discovers a devastating secret.

Maybe your favourite character is about to make an absolutely terrible decision.

Maybe you’ve spent twenty chapters building toward a confrontation and now you’re terrified of actually writing it.

So naturally, you reorganize your bookshelf.

You make coffee.

You check your email.

You suddenly decide the laundry is extremely important.

Anything to avoid emotionally destroying yourself.

12. We Read Our Own Sentences Out Loud

Quietly.

Sometimes.

Maybe.

Okay, frequently.

Because reading something silently and hearing it spoken are completely different experiences.

A sentence can look beautiful on the page and sound absolutely ridiculous when you read it aloud.

Dialogue especially benefits from this.

If you can’t imagine a real person saying it, something might need changing.

Reading aloud also helps you catch:

• Repetitive wording
• Awkward dialogue
• Overly long sentences
• Unnatural pauses
• Repeated sentence structures
• Unintentional tongue twisters
• Places where the emotional rhythm feels wrong

It may look strange to anyone walking past your office.

But your characters don’t care.

They’ve already seen you do worse.

13. We Use Real-Life Locations as Fictional Locations

You walk into a café and immediately think:

This would be a great place for a breakup.

You visit an old building:

Perfect murder mystery setting.

You see a secluded beach:

Romantic confession.

You pass a creepy alley:

Absolutely nobody should go down there.

Naturally, your characters will.

Writers transform ordinary locations into story spaces.

A restaurant isn’t just a restaurant anymore.

It could be where two characters meet.

Where someone overhears a secret.

Where an engagement happens.

Where an argument destroys a relationship.

Where the villain casually orders dessert while explaining their master plan.

Location becomes possibility.

14. We Have Conversations With Ourselves About Plot Problems

You might hear a writer muttering:

“No, that doesn’t work.”

Then:

“Wait.”

Pause.

“What if…”

Another pause.

“Oh my God.”

This isn’t madness.

This is plotting.

Sometimes saying a problem aloud helps your brain see the solution.

You might explain the problem as if you’re telling someone else:

“So she can’t go through the front door because—”

And suddenly you realize:

She doesn’t need the front door.

The solution was sitting there the entire time.

Your brain simply needed to hear the problem differently.

15. We Remember Tiny Details Nobody Else Would Notice

A particular necklace.

A scar.

A character always sitting with their back to the wall.

Someone who never drinks coffee after noon.

A character who taps their thumb against their ring when nervous.

A childhood nickname.

A favourite song.

A specific expression.

These details might never become important to the plot.

But they make characters feel real.

Writers often become obsessed with these tiny details because real people are full of them.

We don’t behave exactly the same way in every situation.

We have habits we don’t notice.

We have objects we carry everywhere.

We have tiny rituals.

Fiction becomes more believable when characters do too.

16. We Suddenly Understand Our Characters at Random Times

You’re cooking dinner.

Suddenly:

“OH. THAT’S WHY HE DOES THAT.”

You’re driving.

“SHE’S NOT ANGRY. SHE’S SCARED.”

You’re trying to sleep.

“HE DOESN’T ACTUALLY WANT HER TO LEAVE.”

It’s as if your subconscious has been quietly working on the character in the background.

And honestly?

Sometimes it has.

Writing isn’t always something that happens while you’re sitting at your keyboard.

Your brain keeps processing the story when you’re doing other things.

That’s why a solution can appear when you’re nowhere near your manuscript.

17. We Judge Characters Like They’re Real People

You know you’ve done this.

Your character makes a terrible decision.

You stare at the screen.

“I expected better from you.”

They aren’t real.

You know that.

And yet somehow you’re disappointed.

Then another character does something wonderful and you’re ridiculously proud.

You didn’t raise them.

You didn’t actually meet them.

You invented them.

But apparently that doesn’t matter.

Once you’ve spent enough time with a character, their choices can feel surprisingly personal.

18. We Have Entire Stories That May Never Be Written

Every writer has them.

The idea that appeared at 1 a.m.

The plot that was incredible but impossible to structure.

The characters you love but haven’t figured out yet.

The story you wrote three chapters of and abandoned.

The concept that keeps returning every six months.

The novel that exists entirely in your head.

Not every idea needs to become a finished book.

Sometimes an idea exists simply to teach you something about storytelling.

Sometimes it becomes another idea.

Sometimes it waits.

And sometimes, years later, you finally know how to write it.

19. We Can Turn Almost Anything Into a Story

A song.

A photograph.

A strange dream.

A conversation.

A news headline.

A childhood memory.

A random sentence.

A person walking past you.

A particularly dramatic cloud formation.

Anything can become a story seed.

That’s one of the strangest and most wonderful things about being a writer.

You start seeing possibilities everywhere.

A door isn’t just a door.

It’s an entrance.

A goodbye isn’t just a goodbye.

It might be the last one.

A stranger isn’t just a stranger.

They might have a story you haven’t imagined yet.

20. We Know We’re Doing All of This—and We Still Do It

The funniest part?

Most writers are perfectly aware that their behaviour is strange.

We know it’s weird to argue with imaginary people.

We know it’s weird to rehearse dialogue while walking around the house.

We know it’s weird to become emotionally attached to fictional characters.

We know it’s weird to write down a random sentence because it might become useful someday.

And we do it anyway.

Because these strange habits are part of how stories happen.

The Weirdness Is Part of the Process

Writing fiction isn’t simply sitting down, opening a document, and producing 2,000 beautifully organized words.

It’s observing.

Daydreaming.

Questioning.

Imagining.

Rewriting.

Eavesdropping without actually eavesdropping.

Arguing with people who don’t exist.

Giving imaginary people problems and then getting emotionally upset when they experience those problems.

It’s messy.

It’s occasionally ridiculous.

And sometimes it’s wonderfully weird.

So the next time you catch yourself having an imaginary argument with your protagonist while brushing your teeth, don’t worry.

You’re not losing your mind.

You’re writing.

And if you suddenly stop in the middle of the supermarket because you’ve just figured out the perfect ending to your novel?

Write it down.

Immediately.

Because inspiration has absolutely no respect for your schedule.

And honestly?

That’s part of the fun.

Now be honest: which weird writer habit are you guilty of?

Because if you’ve ever given a fictional character an entire personality, backstory, favourite food, complicated relationship history, and three different playlists before actually writing their first chapter…

You’re definitely not alone.