The Myth of the Real Writer

[This is Part 1 of 2. Read Part 2 here.]

The Myth of the Real Writer:

It comes tapping at your mind, a harbinger of doubt and dread, whispering one of your worst fears: All of your attempts are in vain, and no matter what you do, you'll never be a Real Writer. It swoops in at odd times, maybe upon a dreary midnight, or after you've been napping, or while you're reading a book you love. Often it shows up as when you're in the middle of writing a difficult paragraph. Once it takes hold, it's hard to hear anything else besides its heart-wrenching, energy-draining refrain. 

It's time to break free from the Myth of the Real Writer.

What is this myth? It contains many components, a litany of absolutes about what Real Writers do or don't do.

Real Writers... 

• ...write every single day.
• ...get up early to write first thing in the morning.
• ...know the whole story before they sit down to write.
• ...write fantastic first drafts.
• ...never have to revise.
• ...write only by hand in Moleskine journals (or on typewriters or on laptops in cute coffeeshops).
• ...never have writer's block.
• ...never fear the blank page.
• ...are willing to sacrifice anything for their creative work.
• ...have read all of the Classics, all important contemporary literature, and everything in-between.

As I mentioned in my last post, I used to think I couldn't be a Real Writer because my creative process didn't match my ideas of how a Real Writer operates.

I thought:

I can't be a Real Writer because I don't write every day.

I can't be a Real Writer because I have to write a lot of nonsense before I figure out what I'm really trying to get at.

I can't be a Real Writer because sometimes I don't know what to write about.

I can't be a Real Writer because I haven't read Tolstoy yet and I forget the titles and plots of some major Shakespeare plays.

I can't be a Real Writer because sometimes my own writing bores me.

I can't be a Real Writer because I don't write as much in one day as other people do.

The list could go on.

What helped me to see beyond the Myth of the Real Writer?

First, I got to know more writers and realized that most of them struggle with similar issues.

Second, I discovered that every writer's creative process is unique. I learned that there's no universally "right way" to approach writing.

Even now that I know this, I still get tripped up on different versions of the myth. In my next post I'll share a story about how this happened to me just earlier this week.

What about you? Do you have a Myth of the Real Writer in your head, too? What does it tell you? And how do you respond?

---

Want to break free from your own Myth of the Real Writer?

Join The Word Cellar Writers Guild, an online community and resource center for writers. 

We have a library of writing modules (like self-paced e-courses) that focus on elements of craft and issues of the writing life, all to help you become the writer you long to be.