5 Myths I Believed About Being a Writer

When it comes to writing, there’s a lot of advice going around. As a rule-follower and lifelong learner, I’ve eagerly soaked up a lot of it over the past decade—through craft books, blog posts, and other authors. Most of it has been incredible. But alongside the wisdom, I seem to have soaked in some myths along the way. 

Here are the top five:

1. There’s only one ‘right’ way to write a novel.

I’m not sure where I got this idea but it made me feel inferior for a long time because I … didn’t do it that way.

Fun fact? I often write the last scene of a new manuscript first. It may (very likely will) change along the way but it gives me something to work toward. Actually, I write most scenes of a first draft out of order. Then, when the basic story is there—usually around 60% of the word count goal—I’ll go back to the start and work my way through, filling in the gaps and bringing the story together. It’s messy, and would likely drive many authors mad, but it works for me.

I’m also somewhere between a Plotter and Pantser, plotting out some major points and themes and scenes before I start but leaving a lot of the minor characters and twists and turns to the whim of the story. 

It’s taken me a while but I’ve finally come to accept that my way of writing isn’t ‘wrong’, it’s just different. And that’s okay. Will I still plot out my next book and try to write from beginning to end sticking to that plot? Probably. Will I succeed? Who knows? And, to be honest, who cares? If it works for me, and a great book comes out of it, then does the process really matter?

2. There’s no such thing as Writer’s Block

Well, maybe not. But there is such a thing as exhaustion. And the creativity drain that comes from it.

Maybe it’s not ‘writer’s block’ per se, but there are definitely days—even on a deadline—when I stare at my screen and can’t force a single word to come out of my brain. It’s not that the words aren’t flowing, or that they’re not good enough. It’s that they’re not there at all. Because I’m exhausted. Emotionally drained. Physically empty. And the harder I try to force the words, the more depressed I get (and the more good words I end up deleting out of frustration.)

I’ve realized in those moments that the best thing I can do for my writing—even on a deadline—is to close my computer and walk away. Do something else. Sleep, watch a movie, bake something, read a book, go for a walk, catch up with a friend. Maybe it’s for an hour, maybe for a day, but just take a break. I always come back feeling so much better and my writing is better for it.

3. You must write every day

I… don’t.

See Writer’s Block myth above, but also, I just don’t. I have little kids and a busy family and some days, it just doesn’t work out. I choose to make something else a priority. Like rest. Or time spent with family. Or reading a book. Or just getting outside my head (and fictional worlds) long enough to remember that there’s a real world in front of me.

I write almost every day—because I love it and I want to get books out to readers—but letting go of the pressure of it being every single day made the world of difference to me as a writer.

4. Marketing is only for extroverts (and the rest of us have no hope)

Again, nope. Maybe the way extroverts and introverts do marketing looks different, but it’s certainly not confined to one personality type. And there is definitely a place for introverts. See Marketing for Introverts post for more of my thoughts (and hacks) on this.

5. I’m not a real writer because _____.

• I never did a course on writing at college/don’t have the qualifications
• I’m not published yet
• I don’t have a home office or desk
• I don’t know the difference between an Oxford Comma and…whatever the other one is called (or, for that matter, an em-dash and an en-dash)
• I don’t drink coffee
• I don’t have a huge platform like [insert super-famous author name here]
• I haven’t been to a writing conference

There are a hundred different ways I could fill in the blanks on this one. They batter my confidence frequently. But here’s what I’ve learnt (and cling on to when my doubts and inferiority complex start screaming at me):

If you write, you’re a real writer.

Maybe you do things differently from every other writer you know. That’s okay. Great even! Be who you were created to be. If that means writing every day and following a detailed plot and synopsis, awesome! If it means writing in bursts or back to front or discovering the joy of the story along with your characters, cool! Figure out what process works for you and your personality/time/limits/giftings and go and write the best story you can.

Your readers will love you for it. 

What myths have you believed about being a writer?

This post was first published on LearnHowToWriteANovel.com