How To Know You Are A Writer

When I got my literature textbook in school I always thought it was more interesting to read the little biographies of the authors rather than the stories themselves. I also read the entire book right away. I alway loved reading about authors and how they write and how they started to write and what kind of people they were. Soon it became clear what kind of people were writers.
Writers are always voracious readers. They are always reading and will read anything if nothing else is available. One summer I was stuck with my aunt who lived miles away from any store or library and she had exactly two books, the Bible and The Good Earth. I read them both and was quite puzzled at this book about peasant Chinese and felt them just like me, people that nothing ever happened to. My life was as dull as theirs. It would have been wonderful if someone had noticed that I loved books and bought me one or two, but everyone seemed to think all you needed was a television for entertainment. Asimov, the famous science fiction writer reported picking up a book at a book convention and finally putting it down two hours later and was amazed at how much time had gone by. I am amazed how at yard sales people will sell books for a dime each, books seem to me to be the most valuable thing at these sales. Time gets away from me too when I am reading. My husband complains that I burn dinner everytime I get a good book. There is nothing like being swept away into a story, nothing is as beautiful as language that makes you forget the words and instead see pictures in your head.
Another things about writers is that no one can tell you that you are wasting your time. I do not believe it. No one can tell me that I cannot write. Where this certainty comes from, I don't know.