When you fall in love with a writer, you become infinite.

Writers, like other artists or creators, are a rare form of human. When you fall in love with a writer, understand that they have minds that never stop moving. They are constantly analyzing the entire world around them; soaking in every tiny detail and making endless stories out of them. When you fall in love with a writer, know that they are receptive of every detail about you. The way your lips curl, how you smell when you first wake up, every vein in the color of your eyes. A writer is constantly making possibilities for every place and person they come to know.

When you fall in love with a writer, keep in mind that they are probably escaping a world that isn’t as pretty as the words they put on paper. Know that, for them, writing is more than a hobby or a livelihood. It is an escape, or a way to release the demons that occupy their minds. Sometimes, writers do not even want to write, rather they have to in order to rid themselves of whatever may be plaguing them at that given moment. Being a writer often means being troubled, mentally ill, or out of place in some way. It means putting those struggles on paper in order to survive. Know that, despite this, they crave stability just as anyone else, and that they are capable of having or giving it. When you fall in love with a writer, know that their talent is often tragic. That their words are more than just words; they are shaped into glimpses of very real experiences and emotions. That it stems from places of overwhelming nostalgia, anger, sadness, or fear.

When you fall in love with a writer, you are being let into a place that only few have ever wandered. Being able to journey through that place cannot be taken for granted, because every story, poem, column, or journal that they write is a reflection of some part of themselves. Know that they will always see any flaw as a beautiful thing, because they themselves are forever trying to be understood in a world that tells them they are not. A writer is capable of seeing things in their rawest forms. A writer loves the cracks, because they view them as opportunities for art to be made. When you fall in love with a writer, know that they are forever wishing that someone would look at them and see the same.

When you fall in love with a writer, know that they are simple, yet so complex. Remember that the majority of the time, so much thought and feeling goes into every word that they say. With this, remember that their mind becomes such a cluttered and overwhelming place that can easily spill their guts, only to spend hours thinking of ways they could have said things differently, or wishing that they would have been able to just slow down. They can write an entire story about the beauty of a flower they saw on their morning walk or the colors of the sunset at night. They can cry at the sight of a painting or the sound of a certain song because they are so moved by its profoundness. Sometimes, they are so full of response that they become silent altogether. Know that when you love a writer, they are forever wishing to inspire you, because they are so inspired by you. When you fall in love with a writer, remember that they feel everything so deeply. Remember that, because of this, they will love you just as deeply and limitlessly.

When you fall in love with a writer, you are signing up for a lifetime of adventure. You are taking part in dinner conversations about their latest ideas. You are asking to witness their spontaneity and constant inspiration. You are dealing with curiosity, being asked a million questions, and unhealthy amounts of coffee. You are agreeing to bookshelves upon bookshelves, putting money on a DD Perks card for birthdays and holidays, and coming home to twenty-thousand crumpled up pieces of paper, or, God forbid a smashed laptop. You are witnessing “happy dance in my underwear” over new books coming in the mail. You are holding the hand of someone who loves celebrating every great thing about themselves and you and the world at large, but will always console when it is needed because they know it’s not always sunny.

When you fall in love with a writer, you are coming to know, quite arguably, the most brilliant, oddly beautiful, passionate person you will ever encounter in your life.

When you fall in love with a writer, know that they don’t give up because they know when a story has ended and when part of it is still left unwritten. They have overcome so much, but always remain hopeful. They have known loss and triumph, love and hate, weakness and strength, all too well. Coming face to face with all of those things reflects in the way they live, write, and love. When you fall in love with a writer, realize that they know forever when they see it, and forever does exist for them. Because they wear their hearts on their sleeves so nakedly, know that this leaves them fearlessly vulnerable.

When you fall in love with a writer, you fall in love with the feeling of hot tea on a sore throat. You fall in love with a long shower at the end of an even longer day. You fall in love with a breath of fresh air, a thunderstorm on a summer night, the calm that follows it, and the crisp, pure smell of laying on clean sheets.

If that writer falls in love with you, you can never die.

So, if you fall in love with a writer, God, do not let them go.