Our society has constructed an image of a writer that is not entirely true. Let us dispel some common myths about writers and their lives through this story.
Almost everyone dreams about writing a book someday, but we don't see most of them materialize their dream. It is because writing isn’t as simple as it seems. Many of these notions are a direct result of their portrayals in movies, series or books. For example, if you have published a book, you can afford a fancy lifestyle, including a log cabin in the mountains beside a river and a fancy bachelor's pad in an upscale metropolitan city. No matter how rosy a writer's life looks, the truth is still stranger than fiction.
Here are some fallacies about the lives of authors that need to be cleared. Let’s address a few of them.
Writers are acontemplative bunch of recluses: The cliché has been blown out of proportion. Society thinks that they are solitary creatures who spend their lives in front of a typewriter during the nighttime and rarely see the light of day. Understandably, many authors could be introverts by nature, but it is not the thumb rule. Many of them like to go out, socialize, meet new people and still are excellent in their job. It is more like a matter of choice.
All writers are grammar Nazis: Like other people, writers also make grammatical mistakes or typo errors. Most of their manuscripts are edited and corrected through various spell and syntax check by professional copywriters and editors before the final work is formally published. So it’s wrong to assume that one cannot be a writer if he/she makes spelling mistakes or typographical errors. It is desirable if you have good diction and a thorough knowledge of the language, but many writers have struggled withlearning disabilities. However, it has not prevented them from writing some beautiful works.
Writers are highly confident about their works: The truth is that every writer feels that they need to improve on their craft and are often filled with self-doubt. It is not always apparent to a non-writer, but it takes a lot of effort for a writer to accept that his/her work is good enough to be published. And thus, they are never satisfied with their writings.
Writers with good vocabulary are the best in their field: Contrary to the belief, many great writers have evoked the most complex idea through the most straightforward language. Experts have often notice that authors who write in unnecessarily flowery language tend to struggle with low confidence, and they use complex jargons to conceal their average narrative skill.
So, if you wish to pursue writing, give it a try without preconceived notions about writers.
