Facts About Writers We Can All Relate To

Writing isn’t easy. The process of taking your inner imagination and translating it to paper is a task, and it can be incredibly daunting and frustrating in equal measure. Today we want to talk about some of the most common facts about writers and ones that we can all relate to. 

1. Writers don’t find writing easy 

As much as a writer wants to tell you that they enjoy every aspect of writing, they really don’t. The idea of writing is super fun, and often planning a story is exhilarating. However, once you sit down to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard the magic fades. Writing is not easy, and if a writer tells you that they enjoy every single line, they are lying. 

2. Books are painful

Writers come in many forms. There’s bloggers, copy typing experts, freelancers, content executives, and journalists. However, out of all types of writing, novel writing is the hardest of all. A good novel can take anything between a few months or a few years to create. During this time a writer will have several breakdowns, scrap their work a few times, and go through countless cups of coffee. 

3. Writer’s block doesn’t really exist 

If you ever speak to a writer who is struggling with their craft, they might say ‘I have writer’s block’ and this is the most common excuse for not creating. Writer’s block doesn’t really exist; it’s just an excuse we use when we cannot physically or mentally write any longer. The truth is if we push through that wall we should have no problem being creative. 

4. Editing is our nemesis 

The best feeling in the world is writing a piece of work, sitting back, and relaxing for the first time in weeks. However, writing a piece is not the end of the road and unfortunately often the editing stage is worse than writing. Once we start pouring through our work, we spot minor mistakes such as punctuation and grammar that are easy to change. But then perhaps a sentence doesn’t quite make sense… or maybe the POV of a chapter is all wrong. Editing is like a black hole, and once you start, you feel as if you are rewriting the whole damn thing. 

5. We always feel inadequate 

It doesn’t matter how many pieces we have written that have been praised and touted, because a writer always feels like they aren’t good enough. As much success as we see, we always look to other creators and wish we could write more like them. The curse of a writer is always striving to be as good as others. 

6. Writers always want to steal 

Creating is a difficult task, and coming up with a winning idea that is TOTALLY unique is near impossible. Writers are like raccoons… they scavenge and scrounge for any idea they can, and this often comes in the form of other writers’ work or other pop culture references. Even looking at one of the most successful authors in the world, George.R.R.Martin, you won’t see something completely unique. George on many occasions noted that he took influence from J.R.R.Tolkien, as well as using real English history to inspire his characters. Writers are all copycats. 

7. Nothing feels better than a perfect sentence

For a writer, there is no greater joy than writing a beautiful sentence. Writing is often an arduous task, so when we get to create a stunningly written sentence or passage it reinvigorates and excites us. 

8. Writers are like sleuths 

When you watch a crime or investigation programme and see those crazy murals with string and pictures… this is only the tip of the iceberg for a writer. When creating a character, a writer doesn’t only look skin-deep. A writer creates a whole family tree, backstory, life path and everything in-between. Even if this is never conveyed on the page, every character in a story is like a real person. This allows a writer to plant small clues in their work for later on, and will allow them to create fun side stories or plotlines. 

9. Planning is the best part 

Writing involves a lot of steps and many hurdles, but any writer will tell you that planning is the best part. Planning a story is the first stage of creation and this is where a writer has a blank notebook page open, and they have a head full of ideas to share. If you ever look into a writer’s notebook you’ll be privy to the most in-depth character analysis, plot ideas, and unabashed passion.