Myths About Writing

Myth 1: Writing is easy for professional writers. Writing is easy for everyone but me.

Truth: Writing is an agonizing process

“I write with my blood.” Ernest Hemingway

“No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader.” Robert Frost

Myth 2: Writers know what they are going to say before they begin writing. They get it right the first time.

Truth: Writing is a process of discovery. You find out what you think by writing.

“How do I know what I think until I see what I said?” E. M. Forster

“Writing and rewriting are a constant search for what one is saying.” John Updike

“Writing has to be an act of discovery…I write to find out what I’m thinking about.” Edward Albee

Myth 3: You have to be born with the talent to write.

Truth: Writing is a skill that can be learned.

“One thing that is always with the writer – no matter how long he has written or how good he is – is the continuing process of learning to write.” Flannery O’Connor

Myth 4: Other people, especially writers, don’t make the mistakes I make.

Truth: No pain, no gain.

“Read, read, read – everything you can get your hands on, trash, classics. Then write. If you like it, keep it. If not, throw it out the window.” William Faulkner

“The wastepaper basket is a writer’s best friend.” I. B. Singer