1. You have random lyrics scribbled in the most random places.
2. You have a section in your phone/tablet/laptop of random notes and ideas.
3. You feel naked without a pen/pencil and paper on you or near you at all times.
4. You have a "writer's mentality" when listening to the radio, meaning that you put yourself in the mindset of the writer of the song.
5. When you hear a song, you think of how you would have changed the melody/harmony/lyrics if you wrote it.
6. You feel slightly depressed when an idea leaves your head.
7. Listening to other kinds of music often spark ideas.
8. You are almost always in a constant critic's mindset when it comes to listening to a song and critiquing it's composition and lyrical choices.
9. You feel the need to explain to people that your "hobby" is your full-time job.
10. At least 75% of the day consists of writing or listening to music.
11. You post song lyrics as Facebook statuses and tweets, many that are your own.
12. In a bookstore, you end up in the music section.
13. You spend hours at a time writing or composing, especially one part of one song.
14. You become immediately intrigued when meeting other musicians and writers...or anyone in the arts.
15. You get irritated when you haven't written anything for a while.
16. You feel like you're "on-the-clock" 24/7.
17. You have been woken out of your sleep with a song idea and won't allow yourself to dose back off until most of it is recorded in some way.
18. You enjoy long road trips (if you're not driving) because it gives you a chance to sit in one spot and write.
19. Poorly written songs and lyrics irritate you.
20. Keep a watchful eye or an open ear to any and every potential song opportunity.
21. Dream-collaborate with your favorite artists in your head.
22. Imagine writing a song for your favorite artists.
23. Have a section of your iTunes/mp3 player with small bits of your music.
24. You know what Finale and Sibelius is...or at least what ProTools and Digital Performer is.
25. You get a sudden rush of adrenaline when entering a studio.
26. You anticipate coming home from at times some of the most fun and exciting places just to write about it.
27. Daily routines are often interrupted by sudden bursts of ideas.
28. You search lyrics for songs and analyze them.
29. You go in the art supplies/music section of your local department store, even if you don't plan on getting anything from there.
30. You see the potential in bad experiences, even while going through them, as song ideas.
31. You are kind of a music snob.
32. You know who writes some of your favorite songs.
33. You kind of have more respect for artists that write their own music, maybe even if it's not good.
34. You have written a song for therapeutic reasons for your own personal experiences.
35. You imagine, and often compose, written texts and prose to music.
36. You are subscribed to at least a few songwriter/musician newsletters, blogs, or sites.
37. You can identify the writing styles and patterns of artists when you hear their music.
38. You can identify typical chord progressions and melodic patterns in artists' work.
39. You're phone or contact list is flooded with more publishers, writers producers, and/or even lawyers more than actual friends.
40. You can do absolutely nothing else with your day but work on a song and feel like that day was truly fulfilled and accomplished.
