Ask the average Joe what a writer’s day looks like and you will hear something wonderful. There is a cabin in the woods, a fancy pen, a steaming cup of coffee, and words flowing like a river. Reality is a little less cinematic, and a lot funnier.
Here are six myths about being a writer, and what is actually going on behind each one. If you write, you will recognize every single one. If you are thinking about writing, consider this a friendly warning.
Myth 1: Writers wait for inspiration to strike
Myth: A writer sits by a window until the muse arrives, and then the pages pour out.
Reality: The muse is a terrible employee who rarely shows up on time. Working writers sit down at a set time, open the file, and write whether they feel inspired or not. Inspiration tends to arrive after you start, not before. If you wait for the mood to be perfect, you will wait a very long time.
Myth 2: Writers spend all day writing
Myth: Every writer’s day is a long, peaceful stretch of typing.
Reality: Writing is one job out of many. On a typical day a writer is also the marketing department, the cover designer, the accountant, the social media manager, and the tech support line. Some days the book gets an hour, and the rest goes to everything that helps people find it.
Myth 3: The writing life is glamorous
Myth: Writers live a sophisticated life of book signings, fancy parties, and thoughtful gazes out of rainy windows.
Reality: The glamour mostly consists of comfortable clothes, cold coffee, and talking out loud to characters who do not exist. Add in a search history that would alarm law enforcement officers, and you have a fairly accurate picture. It is a wonderful way to spend a day, but nobody is photographing it for a magazine.
Myth 4: Once you start a book, finishing is easy
Myth: Everyone has a book in them, and the hardest part is typing the first sentence.
Reality: The first sentence is the fun part. The middle of a book is a swamp where good ideas are forgotten, and many promising drafts stall around chapter three. Reaching “The End” is the real accomplishment. It is the reason so many people who say they want to write a book never do.
Myth 5: Publish a book and the money rolls in
Myth: Once your book is published, royalty checks start rolling in.
Reality: Books can sit quietly for months while the algorithm decides whether it is worth showing. There are no guarantees in this business, and a writer can spend a year on a book that sells very little at first. The writers who do well tend to be the ones who keep writing and keep building an audience, one reader at a time.
Myth 6: A first draft should come out perfect
Myth: Real writers get the words right the first time, and anything less means you are not cut out for this.
Reality: First drafts are messy, and every professional knows it. The book you admire on the shelf was rewritten, trimmed, and polished many times before anyone saw it. The trick is to let the first draft be rough, fix it later, and eventually decide when it’s good enough to share.
Your turn
The writing life is not what the movies promise, but it is a good one for people who love stories. If you have been putting off your book because the reality looks different than the myth, I hope this made it feel a little less intimidating.
Which of these six myths did you believe before you started writing, or which one do you still believe a little? Tell me in the comments, I would love to hear it.
Check out my book on writing: Hard-Boiled Outlines!
