In our world today, everyone needs to write, but being a writer is totally different. There is little similarity between writing and being a writer. A writer is someone who lives a lifestyle that is most conducive to writing. Someone who wants to build up their personal identity and decision-making structure around the fact that they prioritize writing. Everyone has to be something, and most people choose quite boring things. Being a writer is a big adventurous step, but choose it anyway.
Everyone says being a writer is hard work, very few people make it, and you can't make a living out of it. It is proper to say that there are drawbacks but these are not the ones.
Writers need to broaden their minds to less traditional concepts of writing. As of this moment, you may not have written a great best-selling novel yet but that is no excuse to give up. Writers nowadays are greatly needed than they have ever been. New content is always being created and posted online, and entrepreneurs are desperate for great writers to make their websites shine. More people are reading, devouring books, with whole new markets opening up regularly. Almost every industry needs technical writers, and copywriters are sought after. Yes, it is going to be hard work, but so is anything worth achieving.
These drawbacks are not meant to discourage you. These issues are not even the ones you should be focusing on. There is a need to point out considerations that you need to be aware of when you make the decision to become not just someone who writes, but a writer.
People expect somebody who calls himself a writer to have been published in an acceptable medium. This is vastly unfair and so is the way of the world. People will look at you askew when you have nothing to show them yet. Therefore, it is highly recommended you get a blog up and running as soon as possible, so you can point people there as evidence of your writing. This will save a lot of embarrassment at Christmas parties, and will allow you to start building up your readership.
There is also the problem that writing can be a rather lonely business. It shouldn't be very surprising when you consider you must spend a good portion of the day staring at a screen and another good portion staring off into space. However, as the majority of people appear to do this at desk jobs anyway, and don't have the novels to justify it, so don't let this worry you. Terry Pratchett says, 'writing is the most fun you can have by yourself.' Which is true, if you let it.
Being a writer may seem lonely but it's a matter of choice. At some point, you might become a bit strange, and this is more tough to avoid. If you are spending long hours writing in the mindset of an evil genius, it can hardly be surprising that you might come down to dinner with just a slight facial tic and a tendency towards manic laughter. These things happen because of taking on too much of your characters or bubbling over with strange facts. Embrace it. It makes your writing a lot more interesting, and your life.
You might also find yourself viewing events in terms of descriptions. I have, on occasion, caught myself viewing people on the bus in terms of how I would describe their entrance into one of my books. 'The first thing you noticed about Mrs. Jones was her chin. The second was her next chin, and the third was the chin that rolled into her bust, neatly dispensing with the issue of a neck.' You know you have a problem if you realize you have been speaking these lines aloud. It is usually considered polite to exit the bus at the next stop in this situation.
Concealing the fact that you are sixing everyone up is difficult, because, it is true. Do they come up to scratch? Could they make a reasonable character in your book, or would they just be filler, killed off in the second chapter? These are important questions. Much more important than insipid questions such as 'how do you do?' That would not help you.
Lastly, let's not forget the physical issues with writing. If writers don't exercise care, they either become on the large side, or slip into a wraith-like figure. This depends on how you have connected eating with your writing.
Without a conscious effort to include exercise in your day, it is possible to move no further than to the kettle and back for days on end. If you start finding the kettle hard to lift, it might be time to do a series of gym reviews for your blog. This is just one of the many problems you will get from sitting down all day.
There are writers who are divorced or single. But there are also patient spouses who look after their writing partners. So who says writers do not have time for relationships?
There are issues that may arise within the family. Despite all the protestations about making sure you keep your day job, families often love having one member as a writer, as it means someone at least is always free to do whatever they need whenever they want. There is a certain logic that they miss. Relatives who would never think of asking you to take a day off from your day job to help them move, will decide that since you were sitting around at home doing nothing anyway, surely you can write some other time? Children can also be quite demanding, and partners only have a right to complain if you started writing after you got together. A writer must be able to navigate through these issues by himself.
Friends who are also writers can make your life much easier. You just have to deal with the fact that they tend to talk about their own books, while you are also thinking of yours.
However, these are the sacrifices you must make if you decide to be both a writer, and still appear even slightly normal.
Everyone says being a writer is hard work, very few people make it, and you can't make a living out of it. It is proper to say that there are drawbacks but these are not the ones.
Writers need to broaden their minds to less traditional concepts of writing. As of this moment, you may not have written a great best-selling novel yet but that is no excuse to give up. Writers nowadays are greatly needed than they have ever been. New content is always being created and posted online, and entrepreneurs are desperate for great writers to make their websites shine. More people are reading, devouring books, with whole new markets opening up regularly. Almost every industry needs technical writers, and copywriters are sought after. Yes, it is going to be hard work, but so is anything worth achieving.
These drawbacks are not meant to discourage you. These issues are not even the ones you should be focusing on. There is a need to point out considerations that you need to be aware of when you make the decision to become not just someone who writes, but a writer.
People expect somebody who calls himself a writer to have been published in an acceptable medium. This is vastly unfair and so is the way of the world. People will look at you askew when you have nothing to show them yet. Therefore, it is highly recommended you get a blog up and running as soon as possible, so you can point people there as evidence of your writing. This will save a lot of embarrassment at Christmas parties, and will allow you to start building up your readership.
There is also the problem that writing can be a rather lonely business. It shouldn't be very surprising when you consider you must spend a good portion of the day staring at a screen and another good portion staring off into space. However, as the majority of people appear to do this at desk jobs anyway, and don't have the novels to justify it, so don't let this worry you. Terry Pratchett says, 'writing is the most fun you can have by yourself.' Which is true, if you let it.
Being a writer may seem lonely but it's a matter of choice. At some point, you might become a bit strange, and this is more tough to avoid. If you are spending long hours writing in the mindset of an evil genius, it can hardly be surprising that you might come down to dinner with just a slight facial tic and a tendency towards manic laughter. These things happen because of taking on too much of your characters or bubbling over with strange facts. Embrace it. It makes your writing a lot more interesting, and your life.
You might also find yourself viewing events in terms of descriptions. I have, on occasion, caught myself viewing people on the bus in terms of how I would describe their entrance into one of my books. 'The first thing you noticed about Mrs. Jones was her chin. The second was her next chin, and the third was the chin that rolled into her bust, neatly dispensing with the issue of a neck.' You know you have a problem if you realize you have been speaking these lines aloud. It is usually considered polite to exit the bus at the next stop in this situation.
Concealing the fact that you are sixing everyone up is difficult, because, it is true. Do they come up to scratch? Could they make a reasonable character in your book, or would they just be filler, killed off in the second chapter? These are important questions. Much more important than insipid questions such as 'how do you do?' That would not help you.
Lastly, let's not forget the physical issues with writing. If writers don't exercise care, they either become on the large side, or slip into a wraith-like figure. This depends on how you have connected eating with your writing.
Without a conscious effort to include exercise in your day, it is possible to move no further than to the kettle and back for days on end. If you start finding the kettle hard to lift, it might be time to do a series of gym reviews for your blog. This is just one of the many problems you will get from sitting down all day.
There are writers who are divorced or single. But there are also patient spouses who look after their writing partners. So who says writers do not have time for relationships?
There are issues that may arise within the family. Despite all the protestations about making sure you keep your day job, families often love having one member as a writer, as it means someone at least is always free to do whatever they need whenever they want. There is a certain logic that they miss. Relatives who would never think of asking you to take a day off from your day job to help them move, will decide that since you were sitting around at home doing nothing anyway, surely you can write some other time? Children can also be quite demanding, and partners only have a right to complain if you started writing after you got together. A writer must be able to navigate through these issues by himself.
Friends who are also writers can make your life much easier. You just have to deal with the fact that they tend to talk about their own books, while you are also thinking of yours.
However, these are the sacrifices you must make if you decide to be both a writer, and still appear even slightly normal.
No comments:
Post a Comment