Let's face it. Writers are a weird and interesting bunch of folks. So, it comes as no surprise that we are often misunderstood. Well, today, we're going to clear up some common myth-conceptions about this bunch of wonderful weirdos.
Myth-conception #1: All writers are elusive recluses who live in cluttered hovels intentionally away from actual people who may throw off their creative mojo. Ok, I know what you're thinking, and you're right, stereotypes exist for a reason. Lots of authors need quiet and solitude to get their thoughts together, but that doesn't mean we all live lives of monastic seclusion. Far from it. Most writers actually need some interpersonal contact for our own sanity, no matter how often we may tout ourselves as introverts. Besides, being around people lets us study them. Yes, anything you say and do around an author may wind up in a book, for better or worse. We study how people phrase things, how they move and interact with others so that we can portray characters as real and relatable. As far as our cluttered hovels, some of us live and write in places full of books, papers scattered around, and discarded cups of cold coffee being judged relentlessly by a cat we've shooed off the keyboard for the millionth time. Others, like me, have to have order and tidiness so my thoughts aren't as cluttered as my surroundings. Some of us don't even own a cat, judgmental or otherwise. Shocking, I know.
Myth-conception #2: Getting a book contract means you now live the fabulous life of a published author and can do nothing but write and jet-set around promoting your work. I can't tell you how many times, when I told someone excitedly about my novel series contracts, well-meaning people said to me, "Wow! Congratulations! So you'll be leaving the whole teaching thing behind now, huh?" Um. No. That rarely happens right out of the gate and only to a very small handful of authors. Most of us have "day jobs" that range from retail to teaching to law to anything and everything else. Do we all want to write exclusively for a living? I'd wager so, but it's just not the reality. It takes a very long time for writing to pay the bills, if it ever does.
Myth-conception #3: Authors write whatever they want to and don't care a rip for what anyone else thinks of it. This is way off base in so many ways. First of all, yes, we usually are very, very partial to what we write. We don't call them "book babies" for nothing. However, we do need to be mindful of what types of writing the market will support and trends in book sales if we want to be successful. Beyond that, we also need to hear from our readers about what spoke to them and how they connected to our writing. Believe it or not, most writers, even very successful ones, are insecure about our abilities. We write, often, in isolation and have no idea if anyone will like the words that poured from our imaginations. We may love them, but will anyone else? If you, as a reader, connect with something you've read, reach out to the author through social media or their publisher and let them know! Like I tell my students, if we don't let others know what they are doing well, how will they know to keep doing that?
While these three things stand out at myths that need dispelling, they aren't the only ones. Once in a while, I'll pop back in here to clear the air about more things you thought you knew about this strange and wonderful collection of people who live their lives in and out of their imaginations. In the meantime, reach out to an author with some words of encouragement about their work and their "real" jobs, and share their writing with others who might enjoy it.