4 Myths Aspiring Writers Believe

But first, this:

Why are you writing?

Seriously. Have you ever thought about it for more than a second? Writing is awful. It’s the worst. It’s bad for your eyes, your hands, and your butt. You will habitually forego parties, dinners, and other socialization on the basis of “I just had a good idea.”

And forget about being popular. The more time you spend alone, the more you will want to be alone. You will sink into your fantasy world, letter by letter, until you can’t even remember who you were before you started writing.

Also, writers make jack diddly money. You’d be better off pouring concrete.

In fact, if you came to this post as an aspiring writer, you might as well leave now.

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Okay, are they gone?

Good. Let’s break through these myths so you can get back to doing what you do best.

A) It’s harder to be a professional writer today

I understand where this one comes from. You have tried so hard to get paid for your work. You’ve submitted stories to agents. You’ve written some blog posts. You done what feels like a mountain of work.

Still you haven’t made nearly enough. The money that trickles in won’t pay your rent, much less feed your family.

It is easy to get romantic about the “good old days.” Journalists were paid for their stories. When a short story got published, you could almost always expect some form of compensation.

All that sounds great. Except for one thing:

99 out of 100 would-be writers never, ever, ever saw their work in print. Publishers, editors, and agents did their best to keep people out of their world. They got paid to do so.

In the new world, initiative is the cost of entry. It might take a year. It might take five. But your career can be exactly what you make it.

No gatekeepers necessary.

B) Your art speaks for itself

Do you know why it’s difficult to stand out as a writer today?

Businessmen (bless them) have ruined everything. They see hoards of people flocking to a platform to read and can’t help but jump in with their two cents.

In their effort to build their company, they’ve committed a catastrophic sin:

They systematized art.

Writing, once a domain owned by thoughtful, prolific types, has been pimped out to every joker with a keyboard. The crumbling of the gatekeepers combined with the easy access of production means you will get lost in the noise.

If you have A+ art, you will get beat by someone with B- art and A+ marketing skills. Today’s writer must be excellent at her craft AND a decent marketer*.

Throwing your writing out in the public with no promotion is like dropping a rock in a muddy stream. Somebody might find it, but it will be an accident (and look at all those other shiny rocks I can pick up instead!)

C) You can build a writing career all alone

When I first started writing The Creative’s Curse, I had two thoughts:

• This won’t be that hard! It’s just like writing a really long post.
• I can do this alone.

So wrong on both accounts.

Writers love solitude. It’s our comfort zone. We want to be left alone to unravel the great mysteries of the universe.

Professional writers know for every hour of solitude, there’s at least another hour spent with an editor, friend, coach, or reader. Without Declan Wilson and Alexander Hubenthal, it’s safe to say my book would still be a dream.

D) Legions of fans make you feel validated

Last week, I wrote a post about reading which quickly became my most popular post.

From that work alone, I gained somewhere between 1200–1500 followers. I didn’t even notice until a friend pointed it out.

I remember when I had 1,000 followers total. I remember when I had zero.

Here’s what nobody told me when I started out:

Only 3 of those 1,500 who started following me last week will ever tell me they liked my work.

Only 2 of those 3 will keep up with me for more than a week.

But 1 precious person out of 1,500 will devour everything I’ve written over the last few years. She will consume my ideas with gusto, follow me on every platform, and maybe — just maybe — reach out to me personally.

Then the validation comes.

I always write to change one life, to make a connection, not a following, to grab attention, even if only for a moment, and make a person think.

Isn’t that what art is all about?

Thanks for reading! If you liked this, read 7 Questions Aspiring Writers Ask That Don’t Even Matter a Little Bit.

— TB