By Vickie Jean DeHamer
Many people think that writers wear smart black outfits and know things. But I’m here to tell you writers wear regular clothes. Writers aren’t wise wizards. Writers don’t all wear glasses either.
Writers don’t have a coherent thought in their heads until they start writing. Writers blindly choose words, which become sentences, and paragraphs, and even books, and, flush with all that writing, sit back and say to themselves -quietly, in the dark – hey, I think I’m onto something.
Writers feel great until they read their own writing. It is probably on a Tuesday, when the sun is too hot and the dog needs to go out, and terrible things have happened to them, and there is no hope to be had, and the once wonderful words don’t make them feel much of anything at all. Except depressed about how un-wonderful the writing is.
Writers are people too.
Many people think that writers have this thing called talent. It is this very special thing that writers are born with, and when writers express that talent – at the keyboard, or if you’re an old writer, in cursive on yellow legal pads – the world stops and shines upon you.
Many people think talented writers get it all. They get into every MFA program in the country, and have their essays chosen for the most prestigious writer journals with soaring eagles on the covers, and burrow into their talent in a cabin in the woods in Alaska, being served homemade food to fuel their talented brains. All of this is free of charge, and bestowed upon them like a birthright, in service of the naturally talented writer.
But I’m here to tell you that writers don’t have talent. Writers are obsessive-compulsives who can’t stop writing. Writers are workers. Writers will work, re-work, and overwork tired, old sentences and then crumple the entire stack of pages into balls on the floor. They’ll look at the paper-strewn floor and pick one intriguing ball up, smooth it out, and read it again. Just to be sure it’s really trash. Writers are hoarders. Writers are trash collectors. Writers are miserly and petty and insecure.
Writers are people too.
Writers will voluntarily go onto sadistic platforms like Submittable, in order to go on paid writing retreats, and answer endless questions about their writing. Why this? Why now? Writers don’t know the answers to these questions. Writers can only guess at why they write. “To understand myself? And the world?” Writers will write whatever comes to mind. The only thing writers really know is that they can’t seem to stop writing.
Writers will teach others to write, which every writer knows is impossible. Mildly successful writers will prey on other, less-successful writers, and offer paid workshops in which to write! To harness your muse! To generate! To find your voice! To unlock your inner writer! Writers will do this terrible thing to other writers just to have enough money to continue writing themselves. Mildly successful writers need less-successful writers. Writers need money. Writers need day jobs. Writers are carnivorous vultures who will pick at any scrap of meat to survive.
Writers are people too.
Writers will admire better writers. But mostly writers will worry that they can never be a better writer themselves. Writers will dismiss worse writers and think, well, at least I can write better than that. This thought will both sustain them and depress them. Writers will feed on other writers’ weaknesses. Writers will feel sorry for other writers. Writers will feel sorry for themselves.
Writers are people too.
Writers will hope a published writer will help them get published too. But published writers rarely share their contacts with other writers, for fear of never being published again. Writers worry about their reputations. Writers worry about guilt by association. Writers will sit at the cool table in the cafeteria as long as they can. Writers who say they only “focus on the work” understand the importance of an audience better than anyone. Writers are performers. Writers are attention whores. Writers need love.
Writers are people too.
Writers will begin to suspect they have a mental illness. Writers will take breaks from writing, and tell their writer friends that maybe they should stop writing altogether. When writers talk about stopping writing, other writers will rally around them. No! You can’t stop writing! You are a writer! Writers know the pain of writing. Writers know that writing is not optional. Amidst all of this writing, or not writing, writers will say, keep writing.
Writers will make themselves write on their very worst day because they don’t know how to live without writing. Writers will help other writers, by telling them to write when they feel like they can’t. Writers will hold other writers up. Writers will read other writers and say, keep going. Writers will want other writers to win. By taking care of other writers, writers know they are taking care of themselves.
Writers are writers too.