Even though I am a writer, I have to confess a dark truth to you today: writers are sometimes not particularly smart. We tell ourselves ALL KINDS OF LIES. I think it’s habit? Because we have fabulous imaginations and if they’re not put to good use writing a story then — BOOM — our brains come up with notoriously pathetic lies that ruin our lives.*
And if we find ourselves frequently believing these lies…what is left to do but eat cake and dig a deep, dark hermit cave and live in there for 19 years of suffering?
So TODAY! I am here to a) point out these lies, b) address them firmly, and c) probably talk about cake because let’s face it: it’s who I am, Bob.
MOVING FORWARD.
* This could be considered dramatic. BUT. I’m a writer??? Drama is in the job description???
I also have done Lies Bookworms Tell Themselves and Lies Book Bloggers Tell Themselves because this somehow turned into a delightfully lying series.
1. “I DON’T NEED TO WRITE THAT DOWN, I’LL REMEMBER IT.”
Oh, oh ha ha. Oh hahahahahah ha ha. Ahem. Adorable. This is a very silly lie that even I actually fall prey to quite an embarrassing amount. There should be like a golden rule of “if you think up something brilliant, drop whatever you’re doing and WRITE IT DOWN RIGHT NOW OMG DO NOT DELAY.” There are basically not exceptions to this rule unless you are a) holding a baby, in which case lay it down gently, or b) eating cake, in which shove it all in your mouth so you have hands free to write.
Never think that an idea will be kind to you and stick around! NEVER. CATCH IT. BE SAFE.
2. “I’LL JUST EAT ONE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE AFTER I EDIT THIS.”
Not only is this a lie, it’s silly. Why are you even saying it? You edited, you deserve at least a small 9ft model of the Titantic built out of chocolate and at your disposal for consuming after editing. It also might kill you to eat that much chocolate, but who said the writers life was a safe one??? Hmm? It’s not. EAT THE CHOCOLATE.
3. “I CAN’T WRITE ABOUT THAT, I’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED IT.”
Pfffft. This is not true, not at all. Because I can assure that that most* authors have not murdered anyone EVER and yet quite convincingly write about it. There are a lot of life experiences that are hard to write about without having lived them. Some you’ll probably make a mash of without tons of research. BUT. It’s definitely possible to put in the research and time and effort and DO THIS. It depends on what you want to achieve not a “I can/I can’t” matter.
* I will be cautious with my assumption here because WHO KNOWS what length some writers do go to for research. Please don’t be tempted, though. I hear the WiFi is a little patchy in prison.
4. “MY BRAIN IS MUSH. I CAN’T THINK. I’M DYING.”
This is a lie because if you’re moaning on the internet, you are, in fact, not dead. And your brain is probably not mush, it’s actually (scientifically proven by myself and a team of highly trained dragons) more akin to a fried toaster strudel. There is no cure. Death is near, probably.
5. “IT’S A WRITER THING, YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND.”
PFFT. There are perfectly normal-functioning writers out there. YOU, my friend, are just using “writer” to cover your true inner deranged, slightly psychotic, and completely wildly strange self. No judgement. BUT I SEE THE TRUTH.
6. “MY HANDS FELL OFF BECAUSE I TYPED SO MUCH.”
This actually happened to me and is not a lie…so, gee, who’s putting together this post? They are a melon. This statement is clearly TRUE. SOMEONE CALL THE EDITING TEAM, THIS POST NEEDS HELP ASAP —
7. “WHY AM I BOTHERING TO WRITE??? THIS [INSERT PUBLISHED BOOK HERE] IS SO SO SOOO MUCH BETTER THAN ME.”
Spoiler alert: a traditionally published book is not worked on by one person. Not even two. THERE ARE HORDES OF LITERARY MONSTERS BEHIND EVERY BOOK. And those literary monsters are qualified and clever and getting paid imminently — which all very much changes how they approach working on a novel. Your book will probably never be as good as a published one if you’re just working on it by yourself. So take heart in that, okay?! Almost all authors have had to submit books that are good and GREAT but not perfect. You don’t have to be perfect. Yet.
8. “MY BOOK BIT ME.”
This is purely a lie and I’m ashamed at you for thinking it. Books do not bite. THEY GOUGE OUT YOUR EYES WITH THE FEROCITY OF THEIR EXPECTATIONS AND THEN THEY BURN YOU WILL DANCING IN WICKED CIRCLES SINGING YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME.
Do not doubt me on this. Lock up your manuscripts at night. Stay safe, writerlings, stay safe.
9. “I’M NOT A REAL WRITER YET. I’M JUST AN ASPIRING WRITER.”
Oh PUH-LEASE. You are a writer. If you write = writer. The word “writer” doesn’t actually mean “expert”, okay? It just means you write. SIMPLE. There is no “you must write this amount of words to get the writer title” rule…and even if there was are you going to listen to silly rules? NO. Rules like to be broken. Especially writerly* ones.
Ditch the “aspiring”, okay? YOU ARE A WRITER. YOU GOT THIS.**
* Unless the rule is “Don’t write your book in dragonish runes” because that is an EXCELLENT rule and I highly recommend you adhere to it always. No one can read runes, okay?
** And even if you don’t, pfft, who really does? I can’t even spell my own name half the times, but I managed to whack together several thousand words every once and a while, call it a book, and destroy various readers’ feels. Fake it till ya make it.
10. “WHAT IF I DON’T GET ANYMORE IDEAS AND I’M A ONE-HIT-BOOKISH-WONDER?”
I’m sure this could possibly happen?? But I’m 90% sure it’s also a lie. If you are a writer, there’s more than one story inside you. That’s the truth! And maybe you won’t have that story immediately. Maybe for years it’ll elude you. But once you start writing — it’s like a very sharp-toothed marmot. It’ll keep biting you. VICIOUSLY. And you’ll have to get up and swat the marmot (aka write another idea) and eventually you’ll grow to love the pesky sharp-toothed marmot.
And we can all agree this is the worst metaphor Cait has ever made. Thank you, Cait. You’re fired, Cait.
what other writer “lies” are out there that need to be dispelled?! ADD TO MY LIST, I DARE YOU. and also do you ever feel threatened by your own manuscript? do you need cake or a vaguely comforting pat on the shoulder? OH OH and have you ever told yourself any of these lies!??! let me know all in the comments!!
I am not a writer but I still relate to these in some strange non-writer way:
1) I USED TO DO THIS. Key word: used to. And then I read this book on productivity or something and now I have this app where I shove everything I need to remember. I call it my second brain. Very reliable. Even more so than my normal (maybe I should switch them?)
3) I have ALSO heard that the Wifi is very patchy in prison. Research is the best way to protect your precious wifi.
7) Sigh. This needs to be included on the lies book bloggers tell themselves because sometimes a severe case of blogging insecurity hits me like a nuclear bomb and leaves me frozen and twitching for hours.
You need to do more on these. Do something like the lies that organic pineaples tell themselves. That’ll be fun. You can interview an organic pineapple for “research” 😉
And omg your 7:00pm game is too strong I am 99% convinced it’s a melon writing this. But meh.
DUDE I SCHEDULE MY POSTS. 😂 Honestly if I even miss 7:00pm by a few minutes, I don’t post that day. I’M A LITTLE TEENY BIT OBSESSED YES. Ahem. (I do have dragon secretaries though. Just so you know, ahem.)
The no-wifi-in-prison is notoriously inspiring to be good, tbh. Ahem. And omg blogging insecurity is JUST AS BAD as writer insecurity. So we’ll just lump it under “artist insecurity” right? because being an artist is HARD WORK.
I should definitely do an organic pineapple edition. “Lies Organic Pineapples Tell Themselves” and it will be stunning and I think go viral. IT’S A PLAN, PAUL, THANKS.
Thank you Cait.. I really need this kind post 😀
Your writing seems like answer to my prayer 😀
Btw, I really love this: Rules like to be broken. Especially writerly* ones. Ditch the “aspiring”, okay? YOU ARE A WRITER. YOU GOT THIS.** <3 <3
Omg I’m so glad you liked it, Hana!! <3
Biggest lie I’ve told myself: That I could write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days at 12. Yeah, that one’s pretty impossible…
But an awesomely enthusiastic goal anyway. 😂
I LOVE THESE. I also think this post is more deranged than the others in the series but that’s not surprising since we are talking about writers. I actually have managed to develop a much higher rate of memory recall now and even if I forget an idea I remember it fairly soon.
Another lie is they ‘someday I’ll be a published full time writer and be able to support myself with royalties.’ *weeps as applies for medical degree to support expensive writing hobby*
I actually wrote this one FIRST can you believe.😂 So maybe I got more sensible as I went along? BUT TOO TRUE. Writer = deranged. Ahem.
But omg that one isn’t a lie! YOU COULD BE THAT FAMOUS. You can hire a hitman, knock off all the very VERY famous authors and boom = instant success. (This plan isn’t…deranged…at all? Is it?)
Why are your posts always so damn relatable? I am a writer myself and experienced all of these. Currently I’m editing the book Shania (my blog buddy) and I are writing and it’s already 110.000 words long and not even completely finished yet and I spent literally 4 entire days editing editing editing, GET THE CHOCOLATE READY
We wrote a blogpost about thoughts authors have a while back too hahaha: http://thenamelessbookblog.blogspot.nl/2016/02/thoughts-authors-have.html
Xx Amber, http://thenamelessbookblog.blogspot.nl/
BECAUSE I’M A GENIUS BLOGGER THAT’S WHY. *adjusts crown* #humble Ahem, I mean, what were we saying? Omg, 110,000 words?! THAT IS INTENSE!! My last editing project took me 3 months and it was only 60,000 words. *facepalm* I AM TERRIBLE.
Love this post! Great advice in #7!
And I 100% agree regarding ditching the ‘aspiring’. Aspiration is definitely part of the writing journey, but not the writing itself!
AHH I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKE IT WENDY! *flings confetti in the air* Writers are WRITERS and you only “aspire” before you actually start writing, I think. If one is putting words to page — they are a writer. *nods wildly*
Mine is probably “writers’ block has struck, I’m a sucky writer in a bad place” because, since this time last year, I keep getting writers’ block on ALL my projects. My retelling has been moved to planning (because extensive world-building and research needed – I need to read some retellings, have any recommendations?), the story I never seem able to give up on even though I KNOW it’ll never work keeps getting a few lines added to it, and last night I couldn’t settle on either, so I wrote a chapter of a dumb fantasy parody I started a couple of weeks ago. It might not have been the project I was planning to work on in the here and now, but my fingers were moving across the keyboard and words were coming out. Just because I have writers’ block doesn’t mean I can’t write ANYTHING.
The chocolate one speaks to me. Why have a square when you can have a giant bar AND a whole tub of chocolate brownie ice cream?
Personally, I don’t say aspiring writer. I say amateur writer, because people seem to think aspiring writers don’t write. Let me guess, that’s just as bad, right?
I’m definitely with you on “why have a square when you can have a bathtub”. That is genius logic, no denial. Ahem.
BUT OMG I HEAR YOU ON THE WRITERS BLOCK. I had writers block so badly one year I “quit” writing for 6 months. Seriously, I was NEVER EVER going to write again…hmm. I’m a little dramatic. I think it’s okay to acknowledge writers block, so long as we don’t admit it’s going to beat us. *dons tin foil armour and saucepan helmet* WE GOT THIS. AVAST BLOCK!
Hmmm, I don’t know tbh. 😂 I think a writer is a writer and we don’t need to ANY description of where we are in our journey! Or else when do we ditch the “amateur” part? I feel like I would have to keep amateur on for the rest of my life.😂
I have plot bunnies, not marmots, but the basic principle is the same. 🙂 Great post!
Have you seen Monty Python? BUNNIES ARE VERY DANGEROUS TOO.
Yes. This is why I ignore them at my own peril! D:
lol I have told myself alll of these!! Especially the you are not a REAL writer one!
I hope you’re telling yourself you ARE a real writer now. 😉 *sends you real writer chocolate*
OMG I’ve actually fallen prey to atleast half of them (or maybe all)! ESPECIALLY the first one. Maybe this is why I can’t ever finish a book, because I keep lying to myself. Great post, now I’m gonna add not lying to myself in my to-do list RIGHT NOW and not act like I can remember it!
~Autumn
hopefulfaithfulandcreative.blogspot.com
YES. ADD IT TO YOUR TO-DO LIST AND THEN GET WRITING, AUTUMN. YOU GOT THIS.
Thanks for this post, Cait. It was awesome!. I often worry about writing about things I didn’t experience but then I realise that I’ve never been a mermaid who doesn’t like to wear shirts, so whatever. Another lie is “I will edit this weekend/month/school break/year”. My manuscripts are terrifying. I don’t think they make sense half the time (but maybe that’s okay?) like I had to write an in-class essay at school today and my conclusion ended up comparing the readers to immigrants and the piece of writing to a home. (Conclusions are my faves… anyway) Awesome post!
AH YES! The “I will edit..” one is exactly me too. I actually recall making a promise to myself to not write any books this year but instead edit. *dies laughing at self* Lies. All lies. Editing is SO MUCH HARDER THOUGH. *hides from scary manuscripts*
*hangs head in fake shame* I am guilty of like, all of these. Except for the aspiring writer thing – I tell people I am a writer, defiantly (quietly and hoping they won’t ask about ANY of my stories but defiantly all the same).
What’s my punishment? Where do I go?
GAAAHHHHH the first one on the list – zdmnkcdsm,ncxm,nzcx I have done this so much it has truly torn any semblance of my normal life to shreds and turned me into a zombified potato who will soon sink into the terrible pit of mashed-ness and die there slowly.
………….I really should have learned the first time I did it but I didn’t.
I am so disappointed to find out that Wi-Fi is patchy in prison. That is truly terrible – at least I have articles online to tell me how it feels to……… *mumbles something extremely violent under her breath*
Anyway.
I DO feel threatened by my manuscripts. Both mentally and physically. They’re evil. And pretty terrible and a lot of them unfinished and they scream at me when I’m trying to sleep in this weird haunting way. This is why I get at best six hours of sleep.
WELL GO YOU! *sprinkles confetti in your hair* NO “ASPIRING” LABELS HERE. HUZZAH!
And I’m still guilty of #1…all the time. And I know the idea is going to escape me but but but…I am too lazy to write them down sometimes?! SHAME ON ME.
I’m pretty sure manuscripts are not nice things and should not be left to own devices. Be safe, Firefly. Lock your doors. Wear armour to bed.
I’ll still remember what I wrote when I come back to it in a few weeks/months.
No.
I just opened my Scrivener project for the book I started in November and then… I closed it again because it was all WHAT EVEN IS THIS I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WHO IS THIS CHARACTER WHAT DID THEY SAY HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER I DON’T HAVE TIME TO READ EVERYTHING AGAIN AND THEN I’LL WANT TO EDIT AAAH. So yeah. That was successful.
I honestly feel like I remember exactly as much from what I’VE written myself than from the books I’ve read. Which is… not a lot. I’d be the worst commercially successful author ever. Just imagine people quoting memorable scenes from your book at you and you just goin oh nice, what’s that from? That’d be me.
AHHH THAT IS VERY VERY MUCH ME. I can finish writing a book and then go to start rewrites a few weeks later and…have no idea what I even wrote about. (At least it makes for entertaining reading?! “Ooh, I didn’t see that plot twist coming! Go me!”) 😂😂😂
THAT WILL BE ME TOO. And omg, when people go “and what inspired this” and we just stand there and go “I have no idea”.😂
This list is awesome!
At first, I was thinking, “what could these lies be?!” and as I read, I see myself nodding and laughing because these are all true!
And you’ve got such a lovely site! Every post you make is an art!
I’m so glad you liked them, Genesis!!😂 AND OMG THANK YOU FOR YOUR NICE WORDS!! That’s so incredibly nice to hear! <3 *sniffles happily*
Ah man! The sharp toothed marmot is truth! Also, I feel I need to construct a very secure manuscript holding cell for when darkness falls *looks around nervously* Love your picture up top too, reads same as my to-do list.
Eeep, I’m glad you liked the picture!😂 It’s kind of like I need to…edit a bit, maybe? NAH. *runs away to marry chocolate instead*
I love this series- it’s awesome. Just saying. 😀
The first one . . . ohhhh stars. That’s part of why I shifted from panster to plantser, because when I was just purely pantsing everything, I tended to forget all my plans after a while. And don’t even get me started on how certain characters’ families probably went through at least one name change over the course of the book . . .
The “my brain is mush” one is also a good one . . . 😛
I’m so glad you do. 😂 I think I’ve run out of things…unless I do one about fangirls. WHICH MIGHT HAPPEN. These posts are so fun. ahem.
I tried pansting but omg it did NOT work for me. I am a hardcore plotter and not ashamed. *flails and plots all the things* I had to stop writing character’s eye colours though, because I can NEVER remember what they are…or hair colour. GAH.😂
SO RELATABLE.
7. I think this almost every day of my life.. and then I remember Twilight was published and I feel better. Oh, and not to mention 50 Shades of Gray. (Sorry not sorry)
9. I used to be that sad potato. And people I know in my life perpetuated it. “Don’t call yourself a writer.” Well, you can just go put some pie in that pie hole of yours so I don’t have to listen to your nonsense anymore, thanks. I am now protective of anyone who has been told such nonsense and I try to reassure them that they are writers.
10. I think your Australian is showing.
BAHAH. 😂 Okay, but Twilight isn’t THAT bad! I will never speak for 50 Shades because I will never ever everrrrr read it.
And omg yes: NEVER listen to anyone who says you’re not a writer. It took me years to learn this and I just want to scoop up all the beginner writers and tell them they do NOT have to worry about this! BECAUSE YOU WRITE = YOU’RE A WRITER. END OF ARGUMENTS.
THANK YOU. I’ve told myself all of these, especially the “I’ll never be as good as ______ one.” ALL THE TIME, GIRL. And it gets me no where so I try not to think it, but honestly I still do sometimes.
Also, one of the best things I’ve heard about writing is that when you think what you’ve written is dumb or whatever, sometimes it’s only because you’ve seen it since its lame origins. Not everybody will think it’s as awful as you do. : )
Also, GOOD GRACIOUS SAKES YOU’VE WRITTEN A WATTPAD STORY?! MUST READ.
YES I HAVE BEEN WRITING A WATTPAD STORY FOR MOST OF THIS YEAR! I hope you like it!😂 *sprinkles cake crumbs on you*
And the comparative one is sooo hard. SO HARD. GAHHHH. I tell it to myself way too much too, and even though I know it’s silly. It still happens. 😛
Oh Cait, this post. THIS POST.
It is E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. EVERYTHING.
I swear I tell these lies on a daily but I promise my hands have fallen off at one point (!) …*clears throat* right, so back to this wonderful post. I LOVED IT.
Another lie I (a writer) tell myself is that I can’t write. (IT HAPPENS OFTEN) which is completely not true because I mean, HELLO? Writing right now.
DUDE IT TELL MYSELF THAT LIE TOO.😂 I mean, how many books have I written?! And yet, every time I start one I’m like “I cannot write. I am a fake. Someone give me chocolate and leave me alone to die”. (No no I’m not that dramatic, why do you ask?)😂
#2 – LOL!
I just finished editing one scene and pulled out a square of chocolate to celebrate. Now I’m here reading blogs and devouring the rest of the block.
I also hate the aspiring title. I write= I’m a writer.
The last book I was editing, I’d finish one scene and then take a week off as a reward.😂 YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT DIDN’T GO TO WELL FOR MY WORK. HAHA. Ahem.
But YESSSSS. WRITERS ARE WRITERS. None of this “aspiring” stuff.
This post. Oh-my-goodness it was everything.
EVERYTHING.
I (a writer) often find myself saying, “I CAN’T WRITE” which is a complete lie because, I mean, HELLO (?) I’m writing right now!!!
1, 7 and 9 are SO ME. Like, all the time. Also, it’s super hard not to compare yourself, but you’re right – there are SO MANY people behind a published book. It’s like at the end of movies and there are 30 minutes of credits! Ok, maybe not that many? I don’t know. I don’t work here. BUT STILL.
YES YES THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT! I mean, go read any book and flip to the acknowledgements! Authors are always thanking stacks of people because they couldn’t do it alone. It’s actually really inspiring/encouraging. :’)
I used to think there was only one story inside me, and when my mom was like “some authors don’t even publish their first book first- they come back to it after writing more” I was like “but I don’t think I HAVE another book in me..” It took me a couple of months to a year to realize that I’ve been writing stories my entire life.
I had this VERY same thing. *nods* Well I had like a fantasy series going when I was 15…but I honestly thought that, outside of the series, I would have nothing left to write. *glances at 18 other books* Ahem. I’m very VERY sure that everyone has more stories inside them. :’)
Haha. Hahahahaha. Ha. That first one. Very funny. And yet I *STILL* somehow make myself believe that I’ll be able to remember it? Although I have learned. I keep a notepad and my phone on my bedside table (because, clearly, my best ideas come to me as I’m trying to fall asleep. Or when I’m in the shower. Either way, when I don’t want to write things down). This has improved things. But I still do it.
DUDE ME TOO.😂 I honestly do this all. the. time even though I know there’s like a 94% chance I’ll forget *wails* The best ideas DO come while trying to sleep. It is like the creative mind’s curse. -_-
*shifty eyes* Omg, Cait, I never lie to myself like this. How could you even think that? My hands totally DO fall off. And just because I sometimes forget my own name and age doesn’t mean I won’t forget that glorious bookish idea I had this morning, whatever it was. I was not about to shove my entire piece of cake into my mouth just to save that idea. It probably wasn’t good anyway. *breaks down* *sobs*
Seriously though, these are all great. *nods* I always need cake when I’m writing. Another lie I tell myself is that I will have time for copious social interaction while I’m writing, which is a hilarious lie.
Of course you never lie, Liz. You’re like the picture of truthfulness at all times. (Omg do you honestly forget your age? BECAUSE I DO. I’ve been saying I’m 20 for two years now and I often misspell my name. Idek. Names and ages are hard. Who needs them.)
“I DON’T NEED TO WRITE THAT DOWN, I’LL REMEMBER IT.” I AM STILL KICKING MYSELF BECAUSE IT WAS MIDNIGHT AND I HAD THIS BRILLIANT IDEA AND I DIDN’T WRITE IT DOWN BECAUSE “OH, IT’S SO BRILLIANT, HOW COULD I POSSIBLY FORGET THAT?” WHY DO WE WRITERS DO THIS TO OURSELVES. I DON’T UNDERSTAND.
OMG ANNA. HOW COULD YOU. I HOPE YOU LEARNED YOUR LESSON.
(But omg I do this all the time STILL. Even after losing 3939 bits of inspiration because I’m a deluded pineapple. GAHHH.😂)
Awww Cait. This was sooo inspiring! Thanks so much! 😀 I’m not a published writer yet, but I do dream of becoming one. It’s been my dream job ever since I fell in love with books. I guess my first writing stint was when we were required to write a novel in one class in school. I was soo excited about it and I managed to make a pretty dang good story (If I do say so myself.) I even got a 100% for it. But then after reading my novel again after writing it for some time, I noticed some flaws and some plot holes and I began to wonder how I even got a 100% in the first place. What I’m really worried about is what if my stories are only interesting at first glance, but the they end up flawed, inconsistent and just another copy of a popular book that people would grow tired of reading them? I’ve had some ideas in my head about what I wanna write next but I never end up doing that for fear that it’ll just be another “The Hunger Games” and the next “Throne of Glass”. So I was wondering, do you have any advice for me since you’re a writer yourself? I really, reaaally wanna write a novel now but it’s this fear that’s bugging me. 🙁
AHHH THIS WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE A GREAT POST!! (Would you mind if I turned it into a post?!) But until then, I honestly 100% know what you mean and how you feel. And it does get better? Like the more you write, the more original you become. My first ever novel was just a rip-off of Narnia.😂 #soembarrassing But since then I’ve written like 18 novels and experimented with styles and tropes and genres. And it truly does get better. TRULY. I am 100% for writing quantity. Sometimes the quality comes later. And ignore the fear! HONEST. Just ignore it. Write write write. You can always edit your writing, but you can’t edit something that doesn’t exist. 😀
Omg, yes Cait! You can totally make it as a post! I won’t mind at all! I’m really glad my comment has given you ideas about a new post. It’s an honor! Anyway, thanks for the great advice. Hearing those things from you has somehow reassured me and has given me confidence to just keep on writing. I’ll also keep on reading different genres of books so I could get even more ideas. Again, I’m truly grateful and more power to you! I hope to read more of your awesome posts! 😀
EEEEP. YAY!! You are so inspiring. 😉 And omg you are MOST WELCOME! And I’m so so so glad I could say something encouraging!! EEEP. We writers have to stick together and keep each other on track, for sure, because it really is a very tough thing we’re doing. *nods sagely*
A writer’s life IS tough. To us writers! 😀 *Cheers*
I don’t really consider myself a writer… but I write blog posts? And actually, recently I finished a short story (although it was for school) and I’m working on another (non-school) one, which I HOPE will be good. That is, when I’m not doing homework 🙁 So the only lie I’ve really told myself, not being a novelist and such, is that I’m not a writer. But maybe I am. This was hilarious and beautiful as usual, Cait!
That’s still writing!! Although I know that IS and DOES feel different to novel writing *nods* But IT STILL IS WRITING (particularly short stories!!)
I, uh, um, …. nooooo, *cough*
Oh! Oh! I’m gonna start reading your Wattpad story!! *congratulates self*
I’m sure you’re not guilty of ANY of these lies right? *pats shoulder*
OMG *FLAILS* I HOPE YOU LIKE MY STORY.😂
Haha, great list! I have definitely fallen for #1 in the past, and end up kicking my butt about it afterwards as good ideas and bits of dialogue have escaped me. So now as much as I can I always have pen and paper in case a burst of inspiration comes about 😉 I also have fallen for #7 time and time again, followed by constantly reminding myself that I’m writing for me, that I enjoy writing stories, etc, etc. Ugh, but it’s so easy to fall for #7 especially when the editing/writing process isn’t going so well (which has been an up and down battle lately, ugh) ;_; #9 and #10 have also crossed my mind too.
Cake would be nice right now, actually, lol *settles for a cookie instead* xD
ME TOO. I am always guilty of it.😂 Even right now…I should be writing down this book I’m plotting, but I keep going “oh Ill remember it and do it tomorrow” and I’m going to regret it soon. 😛 And I hear ya with the writing process going badly and feeling that everything sucks. *cries*
Cake WOULD be nice. I have not had cake for a loooong time. CRAVING.
“Because we have fabulous imaginations and if they’re not put to good use writing a story then — BOOM — our brains come up with notoriously pathetic lies that ruin our lives.” OKAY SO NO THAT IS NOT AT ALL DRAMATIC IT IS SUCH TRUUUUTH. Literally. I really really back you on this because I have great faith in the idea that this is one of the things that continuously ruins my life without fail. Like, just think about it — if we’re not using our writerly brains to think up new stories, WHAT OTHER HAVOC ARE WE WREAKING ON THE NATIONS?? HMM??? oki I’ve only read the first line of this post and I am already ranting. oy. XD
The writing down ideas thing. *nods slowly forever* One time I wrote down an entire lovely little character story-telling montage scene thing and then my computer LOST IT. and I was trying to not hyperventilate. (but i did find it, in the end, on another computer. MORAL OF THE STORY: BASICALLY USE REAL PAPER NEXT TIME.) “a small 9ft Titanic of chocolate” <<<< SELL THESE ON SOCIETY6 STORE PLEASE. bc i need one stat. XD
“Almost all authors have had to submit books that are good and GREAT but not perfect. You don’t have to be perfect. Yet.” YOU ARE SUCH A SAGE. THIS IS SO TRUE. thank you. x) “eventually you’ll grow to love the pesky sharp-toothed marmot.” < this metaphor is actually great and I love it. XD I'm currently in the "swatting" stage of many marmots but WE'LL ALL SURVIVE WE'RE ALL GOOD. (I'll definitely lock them up at night, though. Just to be safe. xD)
I LOVE THIS POST. And I just noticed that note at the very end you literally don't know much I've been wanting to just IGNORE REALITY completely and binge read your entire Wattpad story. It's going to happen my dear. Ready yourself to be crushed by a massive amount of fdhfkjksdling. XD
peace, love, and pineapples,
abbiee
I AM LIKE A HUMAN BEAN MADE UP OF 94% TRUTH, BASICALLY. I KNOW HOW WE WRITERS’ BRAINS WORK. *nods sagely* And honestly, I’ve been thinking up SO MANY new stories this year…I just work them to death in my brain, do NOT write them, and then start on a new one. *facepalm* I should shhh and write but. Well. Thinking up books is easier than writing them down.😂
I LOSE STUFF TOO. I write notes for myself all the time and then POOF. Gone. I’m sure my dog eats them. Or aliens come to steal my genius. < -- Very possible. AHHHHH. I'M SO SO HAPPY YOU'VE BEEN READING MY WATTPAD STORY. I COULD CRY WITH JOY BASICALLY. <333
Cait, why did you just fire yourself, omo that was hilarious. (okay firing yourself was hilarious too)
this post is so accurate XD
I’M GLAD YOU LIKED IT, LISA. <3😂 The dragon secretaries had fun with this one...
Ha ha ha… the not having to write it down lie is my kryptonite! I get sick to my stomach thinking of all the wondrous thoughts I have let slip away. *cue seriously sad music* I write in note books and then type it into a word document, so one lie I use is, “I will be able to read that tiny, scribbled inserted text squished into the margin later, no problem.” Yeah, no. Heh.
Saaaame. I lose SO MANY IDEAS that way. *sobs sadly* Although right now I’m being plain lazy with a book I’m plotting and not writing it down. I’m going to regret it soon.😂
Number one on your list of lies is basically the WRITER PART OF ME IN A NUTSHELL. I just need to start carrying a pocket-sized notebook with me EVERYWHERE I GO. Also I’ll need something to write with. The silliest thing is that my creative writerly juices always seem to flow when I’m lying in bed trying to SLEEP. And of course I don’t want to get up from under the cozy covers to write my rapid thoughts down because I’m trying to sleep because it’s late at night and I’m sleepy. I figure I’ll remember the best ideas in the morning but most of the time THAT’S NOT THE CASE. Am I alone in this madness??
OMG YES DO IT. I mostly use my iPod to jot down quick notes…especially in the middle of the night.😂 (Seriously why is it that lying down to go to sleep is the most inspiring time?! LIFE. WUT ARE YOU DOING. And you are not alone…I’ve had ideas at night that I havne’t written down and BOOM. GONE THE NEXT DAY. ALL BLAME TO ME. *sobs*)
I have no idea what a Marmot is, but they sound delicious.
Writers are a weird sort that the rest of us really will never understand. They seem to consume large amounts of caffeinated drinks and live in very specific writing / editing / general ‘freaking out’ caves. They’re frantic little people that celebrate entire months dedicated to speed typing stories and then sharing snippets of said speed writing stories, then spending the rest of the year up until the next speed typing month doing something called editing.
You have to read that with a David Attenborough voiceover though.
A marmot is like a cross between a squirrel and … a rabbit. I think. Idek. Ask Wikipedia. But there’s a kind that lives in Russia and I may or may not have watched a long documentary about them FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, HELP ME KELLY, I DON’T KNOW WHAT MY BRAIN IS DOING. ahem.
And writers ARE weird. They’re such a peculiar species and should probably only be approached cautiously. And perhaps prodded with long sticks? For safety reasons.
Have you been spying on me? LOL. Enjoyed the post, as usual. @sheilagood at Cow Pasture Chronicles
I READ MINDS, BASICALLY. ;D
Haha.. this is sooo true!! My ideas usually pop up when I’m going to sleep and have nothing in front of me. Nonetheless I do try to salvage some ideas in my writing it down in my phone. Chocolates… umm… you know, they are my first love along with books, I need it in my life as I require air!! Nonetheless I agree with all the points you stated! Awsome post Cait!!
Omg YES. As soon as I turn off my computer and go to bed…BOOM. Ideas.😂 It’s so typical, grrr. XD Chocolate is probably the reason the universe keeps spinning, let’s be honest now.
Ahaha I love these posts, CAit. XD And it’s all so true.
SPEAKING OFF READER’S FEELS. CAIT YOU KLJEZLDKJF I JUST FINISHED YOUR BOOK AND I YELLED AT YOU ON TWITTER BUT I’LL DO IT HERE TO BECAUSE OH MY GOD. WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?
I AM SO GLAD YOU DO, BEE. THANK YOU. *beams happily*
And zomg your twitter yelling made my DAY basically. I AM SO SO PLEASED THAT WAS YOUR REACTION. 😂😂 #evilauthor
LOL, this post is fantastic!! And I feel the first one so hard! IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA DROP EVERYTHING AND WRITE IT DOWN. Because you will not remember it 2 minutes later.
Alexa
thessalexa.blogspot.com
verbositybookreviews.wordpress.com
YES YES. DROP EVERYTHING AND WRITE. And make sure you write it somewhere you won’t lose it too.😂
I keep pads pf paper everywhere so I can write ideas down… including right next to my bed where I also keep a torch because when I am meant to be sleeping the best ideas come… annoyingly. I promised myself a bit of chocolate the other day after I wrote the amount of words I had to but by the time I had finished I had forgotten about the chocolate…. Which devastated me later when I realized it was now almost tea time and I couldn’t very well eat the chocolate then.
I use my iPod for middle-of-the-night story ideas…but also pen and paper! But the WORST part is writing it down and then losing it. GAHHH LIFE IS SO HARD. (And honestly my best ideas come when I lie down to sleep. hehe. #typical)
You are very VERY restrained to not eat the chocolate.😂 BUT I’VE ACTUALLY DONE THAT TOO. once I typed so much I was just so tired I went to bed without it. So I guess that was good?! Bed was the reward. xD
“19 years of suffering?” There was a man whose name was Jean Valjean … he stole some bread to save his sister’s son … for nineteen years he lived a life apart … OK I’LL STOP BUT THAT WAS A REFERENCE WASN’T IT IT’S NOT JUST ME!??!
I loved Lie #1. Oh yes. Ohhhh yes. Haven’t we all been there?!?!
This post made me lol as ever. I especially enjoyed the marmot metaphor 😉
My lies tend to be at two ends of a spectrum. We have Lie 1: “THIS IS THE WORST PILE OF ROTTEN AVOCADO EVER WRITTEN AND IT HAS NO MERIT AT ALL NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN THIS BAD” which is definitely not the case (I HOPE!). And then there’s Lie 2: “THIS IS LEGIT THE BEST BOOK EVER IN A DAY OR TWO THE PUBLISHERS WILL BE FIGHTING OVER ME.” Which is also, ahem, really not the truth.
Lies 1 and 2 tend to follow each other in a space of about fifteen minutes. #amediting
JUST YOU. I HAVNE’T EVEN SEEN/READ LES MIS.😂😂 SORRY, EMILY. Ahem.
I’m glad you liked the post! SO GLAD. Except for my accidental (failed?!) Les Mis reference. hehe. Zomg but yes yes to those lies you’ve added. I love how we writers can think BOTH those things like literally back to back. One day it’s GLORIOUS AND WE ARE RICH AND FAMOUS the next we have quit writing and are taking up, eh, idek…accounting. THE WRITERS LIFE IS HARD.
What about “oh, I know I’m going to kill off this character so I won’t get attached” ALL LIES. And then you write them a truly fantastic death scene and are bawling your eyes out because uh oh, you got attached and you are now killing off one of your babies. Your poor, precious, innocent babies who didn’t know they were going to get eaten by a dragon/burned alive/tortured/stabbed/ect.
Oh dude YES TO THAT ONE SO MUCH. I am literally having a plot problem in the book I’m going to work on because I don’t want to kill the character I’d plotted to kill😂
I can totally agree with number 1, I do it waaay too much. And then other times I do the awkward rushing off mid-conversation to write stuff down! 😛
Better the second than the first though, right?! FORGETTING GOOD INSPIRED THINGS IS THE WORST.
Absolutely!
I always have great ideas and I’m like ‘I’ll remember that.’ I do not, so sadly, lots of perfectly good ideas have been lost in the depths of my mind. 😢
YUP. ME TOO.😂 And I still don’t learn even though I know I forget EVERYTHING. I am a sad writing creature.😂
Number one is the truest statement of all time. And can also apply to blogging. (I know, because I have done this with both- and I never seem to learn my lesson!) Number four is my actual life. I say it CONSTANTLY. Are you telling me I can’t say it anymore? Sometimes I cannot even internet properly, if that helps? No? Even though I had to retype “helps” four times because I kept using the wrong key? Still no? Ugh, fine Cait.
I am also guilty of number 9. And Number 6, except I say that my ass is going to actually fall off because… it hurts after sitting in the stupid chair for so long. Sadness. And as for #10… I’d rather be a one-book-wonder than a zero book nobody? Hahhaha.
P.S.- I can’t decide if that marmot creature is cute or scary. I mean, in some pictures, they are cute. In others, I am fairly sure they have all the rabies?
ME TOO. And plus I seem to forget things on my way to writing them down. I can’t win. I might as well just eat chocolate and take a nap. I CAN’T TYPE EITHER. Tbh, with my brain as fried as it is these days, I have no idea how I even manage to write whole books. I MEAN LOOK AT THIS BLOG POST. DO I LOOK THE PICTURE OF SANITY? NO.
I think marmot’s are scary. But cute. Tbh, I just like saying the word. It’s like a fuzzy comfortable version of marmite or something. LIKE.
BIGGEST LIE I TELL MYSELF: I don’t have time to write.
(like, no, I prioritise other things that are EASIER, like blogging, and book photos…because, you know, my attention span is short and writing books is long)
BUT YES I THINK I’VE TOLD MYSELF ALL OF THESE THINGS. Except possibly eating one bit of chocolate. I’m under no delusions, Cait.
And naps. Don’t forget naps. I prioritise naps above writing and then wonder why I never get anything done. *sighs* I’m VERY glad you’re under zlich delusions about the chocolate though. YOU ARE WISER THAN THE REST OF US.
I still keep telling myself “Don’t forget that idea, that’s brilliant!” and I still keep forgetting. Gah. But I’m getting better. My notes from seminars are slowly turning into my board for cool ideas I cannot forget. So now when I’m studying it’s hard because I see those ideas and all I want to do is write another new story. Bad idea! 😀
Oh, 9 is pretty common in Slovakia. When you want to call yourself a writer, everybody assumes that you published something. They get excited and then you have to tell them “No, I’m actually just working on my book.” and then they are looking at you like you grow second head. So… that’s pretty bad. But I still call myself a writer because yeah, I write and that makes me a writer!
Sometimes I contemplate whether I am One-hit-bookish-wonder but I want to believe I am not. I mean, that would be depressing knowing you can write only one book and tham it’s the end. No more stories. No more ideas. OMG I HOPE I’m not one-hit-bookish-wonder. I think I’m going to give my story some love. 😀
I have half a wall covered in sticky-notes of stories I want to write. I try to keep it out of eye-sight though because I DON’T NEED TO BE LOOKING AT IT AND WANTING TO WRITE ALL THE TIME.😂 But omg the forgetting is HARD right!? I even forget on my way to writing it down. *weeps*
Awk! That would be severe awkwardness! I think it’s annoying how people assume you HAVE to be published to say you’re a writer. I MEAN, DON’T THEY REALISE WE DON’T HATCH OUT OF THE AIR?!? WE GOTTA WORK FOR IT.
You are HILAROUS. Seriously. I laughed out loud about five times while reading your post.
Comments:
1) YES, we totally deserve a 9t model of the Titanic in chocolate after editing. Also ,after rewrites. And after meeting our daily writing goals. in fact, we deserve it ALL THE TIME.
2) Number 8 is downright hilarious. SERIOUSLY. I laughed so much!
I’m editing a manuscript now and I’m telling myself I don’t need a cheat sheet to get the names / hair color / characteristics of the secondary characters correct. SUCH A LIE. ALL THE LIES.
I AM SO GLAD. MY JOB HERE IS DONE.😂
And I highly agree that we deserve that Titanic of chocolate all. the. time. Basically we deserve it for even THINKING about writing, because sheesh, that’s exhausting.
DUDE YES TO THE CHEAT SHEET.😂 I even have a cheat sheet for my characters names half the time. YUP. I’m that bad.😂
The one time I half did NaNoWriMo, this list was me. To motivate myself to write, I didn’t allow myself breakfast until after 2k words to keep myself motivated. I think it’s agreed that writers are very unique creatures.
AH, I’ve done that too!😂 I once wrote 5K before breakfast. *dies a little remembering* Least to say I NEVER did it again because a) torture, and b) omg I write like a rotten hedgehog when I’m starving. Ahem.
Once again I freaking love your post. Honestly this is hilarious. And although I would like to call myself a writer, I do not even believe I am a so-called aspiring writer as I do not even write. I am simply too lazy, I prefer naps. I try to yell at myself to make myself write more, but then I look over at my couch, and well, everything changes. I simply lay on it and all thoughts of wanting to be a writer scurry away. Only to come back and haunt me just as I am trying to sleep at night, forcing me to stay awake for hours thinking about how I still haven’t started my “book”. I do however strongly believe if I found inside my tiny fragment of a soul to become a writer, I would definitely screech these lies out quite a few times!
Dude, I prefer naps too, so the struggle there is VERY real. *sighs* I suppose you CAN claim “aspiring” if you’ve never ever penned a word. 😉 BUT SERIOUSLY WHY ARE NAPS SO MUCH BETTER THAN WRITING?!?!
These are all awesome, Cait! I’m not a writer, per say, but I am preparing my MA thesis atm, and so, when I saw your first point… I stopped reading to actually write down some points that came to me when I was driving home earlier. Better not think I’ll remember them, and I ended up filling a whole page, and got a few new ideas as well, so thank you!!
And of course, all the chocolate and all the cakes!
Omg, you are most welcome!!😂 And writing a thesis…WOW. CAKE AND CHOCOLATE TO YOU AND BEST OF LUCK!!!
Ah that first one is so me. I swear to all the gods that if I don’t write down my ideas, those ideas get lost somehow…….and are never found. Ever.
Numbr 7 and 9 are also me. ‘UGH MY BOOK WILL NEVER BE PUBLISHED BECAUSE IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH’ is one that should have been on this list though. I am constantly in an existential crisis about the irrefutable fact that MY BOOK WILL NEVER BE PUBLISHED ARGHHHHH *sobs while eating ice cream*
Me tooooo. And I have a ROTTEN memory, yet still insist on telling myself that I’ll remember it later. #lies
I AM ALWAYS IN THAT CRISIS TOO, DON’T WORRY. I’m not sure if it’s comforting to know it never passes or horrible?!😂
UGHHHHH No.1 is the worstttt! I do it all the time and I know I shouldn’t but I do. 😛
IKR?! ME TOO. And I 1000% know my memory is rubbish and yet I STILL TELL MYSELF I’LL REMEMBER.😂
My biggest problem is even when I do write something down, I’ll have gotten the idea really late at night or something at I wasn’t specific enough so I’m just like, WTF did I mean? (example: I was looking at my writing ideas folder and there’s this one from months ago that says “all of those turn the guy bad”. UMM EXCUSE ME SLEEPY PAST EM BUT WHAT?)
BUT YEAH BASICALLY I RELATE TO ALL OF THESE TOO MUCH HELP ME. *cries*
Excellent post as always, Em
AHHHH YES. I get that too.😂 Or else I have this super “inspired” idea and get so excited for it and do write stuff down…and then later I realise it was really stupid and what even was I thinking. *sighs* THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.
OMG YES. Another gem from my folder said “story idea man that falls in love with ramen noodles”. Yep. I REALLY WROTE THIS IT SAYS I WROTE IT AT FOUR IN THE MORNING I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER WRITING IT.
BAHAHAHA.😂 That is golden.
THIS IS LOVELY, CAIT, I AM CACKLING. Number 8 escalated very quickly. XD But basically everything is very accurate and scary. Also your marmot metaphor is beautiful. Violent, but beautiful.
I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT! *dances quietly* And what can I say? I know how we writers work. 😉
Oh my god #1 is SO TRUE! If I had a dollar for every time I thought I’d remember something I’d have….okay well maybe not a million dollars, but certainly a lot of dollars!
~Sara
I would probably have a million dollars.😂 MY MEMORY IS SO HORRIBLE. I even forget the thing while I’m walking to get the notepad to write it down. *weeps*
I always ditch ‘aspiring’ and use the word ‘budding’, instead 🙂 I write articles and copies, but lately, I’ve been dipping my toes in creative writing!
Ah, well, “budding” is definitely better than “aspiring” but I still technically believe it’s not needed! I mean, when do you officially bloom into a “full” writer?!? We’re forever learning!
#1 KILLS me. I do it ALL the time. It’s like every day is Groundhog Day and I keep repeating the same mistake over and over again. Why can’t I learn? Teachergirl, why? UUUUUUGGGGGHHHH. *rips at hair*
IT IS AN INSANELY TOUGH WRITERLY PROBLEM, TBH. Our brains fail us SO MUCH.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a writer because I’ve only ever had ideas and maybe a thousand words here or there. I tell myself these lies ALL THE TIME and believe them ALL THE TIME. I’ve decided that I am much better suited to being one of the horde of people that work on a book – specifically an editor/proofreader. XD
Also, even without being a writer, #1 is the WORST THING EVER. I do it way too often. I have these ideas about anything: what to write in my book review for a book I finished at 3am, that dream that could totally be used as inspiration for a story, or even just an idea for some fanfic. And they’re always AMAZING when I think of them, so amazing that I couldn’t possibly forget them, RIGHT?! Wrong. I always forget. Unless the dream was actually a nightmare and then I can remember EvErYtHiNg.
Your posts are lol-worthy, as per usual, m’dear!
AHHH the forgetting is the WORST. And I think literally everyone has said they identify with that lie.😂 WE’RE ALL TERRIBLE AND NEED TO WRITE DOWN OUR IDEAS IMMEDIATELY, HEHEh. (To be fair, I always do this…so I’m just as guilty.)
Omg, thank you! <3 I'm glad it was funny. 😀
THAT FIRST ONE TDRDSKSAVDSDKIWE I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES.
But the worst worst thing is when you //know// you wrote it down somewhere but caN’T FIND IT FOR THE LIFE OF YOU. I had a mini crisis like that with the names of my Elvish rulers last night. Thankfully, I found them, after a half hour of frantic searching. *phew*
The second, seventh, and ninth are also really me. xD Awesome post!
Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality
P.S. – have you seen the history of japan video? Idk I saw it a couple days ago and I thought it’d be something you might find funny.
DUDE YES TO BOTH OF THOSE. I had a complete panic hte other day trying to find this idea I’d written down in SOME word document SOMEWHERE. Least to say I have no idea where. *cries* This is why people say be organised, I suppose.😂 I’m glad you found yours!!
And nooo, I haven’t seen the history of Japan video. Is it a movie?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh5LY4Mz15o THIS IS THE HISTORY OF JAPAN VIDEO.
OMG THAT WAS HILARIOUS AND WONDERFUL. 😂
Gah, the horror of not writing down ideas! At one point I was tossing around the idea for a fantasy world/story (it was a terrible half-formed idea, I’m sure, because most of my fantasy ideas were) but one cool part was that I came up with a sort of creation myth-type story from the world about how the sun and the moon came to be or something. And it was neat, and I’d mull it over every now and then and figure since I still remembered it, why should I write it down? Needless to say, I didn’t write it down and now I don’t remember it. So, yes, WRITE DOWN YOUR IDEAS is a marvelous piece of advice. And use more detail than you think is necessary, because you will forget the important elements given enough time.
Also, I think many writers have fallen prey to the idea that we’re no good because our book is terrible compared with other published ones. I used to do that until I got it through my head that there’s an entire publishing team behind each book–and even then I still fell into the comparison trap! Humans are so terrible at keeping our eyes on our own work, aren’t we?
AGH THAT IS THE WORST THOUGH! Forgetting stories huuuurts. And I’ve done it so many times. And I never seem to learn?!? *facepalm*😂 I also hate myself when my outline says “write something funny here”…AGH TO THAT.😂 Write the details as soon as you think of them < -- excellent advice. We humans do so love to compare. *nods* Which is sometimes good, because it can help us to work reeeally hard. BUT IT'S ALSO DEMORALISING TOO. Gah. We need balance with the comparison things.
DUDE, I RELATE TO THIS ON SUCH A PERSONAL LEVEL THAT THIS POST IS BASICALLY WHAT MY *SOUL* LOOKS LIKE! It’s EXACTLY this shape. Those exact letters in that exact order!
I need to start exacting some sort of SEVERE SELF-PUNISHMENT every time I say to myself “Oh, there’s no way I’ll forget this later”. I could have written A WHOLE LIBRARY of additional stories had I ONLY written down everything that I THOUGHT I’d remember later. (STOP THINKING, LEXIE, AND START WRITING DOWN! YOUR THINKING IS EVIL AND OUT TO DESTROY YOU!)
I was lucky enough to get to interview an author for a student paper in high school, and he pretty much exorcised any “Write what you know” cliches right out of my head early enough.
But #7 AND #9, OH GAHD, SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM #7 AND #9! (Oh, wait! You just did!)
YOU ARE MOST WELCOME FOR THIS VERY NICE POST ABOUT YOUR SOUL. I try. I do. :’)
Duuude, ME TOO. And the problem is I KEEEP NOT WRITING STUFF DOWN. And there is only myself to blame, but sheesh. It’s quite the problem. (And that is seriously awesome you had that author to tell you to write whatever you want! XD I think with the whole “we need diversity” campaigns on at the moment, but also the movements of “don’t you dare write it unless you lived it”…but we’re kind of forgetting that the heart of writing is writing TO EXPERIENCE WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW! *tosses confetti in the air*)
I once wrote a comment… I’m actually really embarrassed that it EXISTS, because it’s seriously something like 3 Word pages long. The LONGEST blog comment ever recorded, probably. And it was in response to a discussion one of the lovely bloglings posted (is that the term? blogling?) where she discussed the We Need Diverse Books campaign and the misrepresentation of diverse characters and appropriation. And, y’know, I agreed on EVERYTHING, but I went off on a tangent that is “I completely agree that we need diversity, but can we please stop telling white people to only write white people, and straight people to only write straight people, and non-disabled people to stop writing about disabilities?”.
Idk if you stalk Maggie’s Tumblr quite as proficiently as I do (although I imagine so), but there was that hoopla a few months back where she was told that her voice wasn’t welcome at a diversity panel because she isn’t, y’know, POC. Or disabled. Or LGBTQ+. And I remember Maggie talking about how her next series features a Mexican family, and how her books have been too ‘white’ so far and she means to correct that, and getting a response, like, “You know nothing about diversity. You are not diverse”.
UM, I BEG TO DIFFER. RONAN LYNCH. THANK YOU AND GOODBYE. (And sorry this took such a serious turn. Downer Lexie, party of one.)
DUUUUUDe. YES THOUGH. OMG. I did hear about that rant over people being being “how dare you write diverse books” to Maggie Stiefvater. I mean, how dare they say that. How dare the WORLD say that. It’s absolute rubbish. Plus we’re saying that if a straight/white/middle-class writer has a story to tell they should SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP because they’re story is not worthwhile. Which is horrifying. I can’t even believe the world is saying that.
Alsooooo, I think there’s this whole totally horribly wrong thing where people of minorities think that there is only ONE way to represent them. Which is so so silly. Like if I wrote an Australian book it would be very different to many Australian books that I’ve read, because I live in a different part of Australia/different family/different experiences etc etc. I wish people would be mature enough to realise that two people can, for instance, have the same disability, but their lives are 1000% different.
I honestly want to write a post on this but I don’t know if I’ll be shot down in flames.😂
(Omg but I didn’t know she was having a Mexican family in her next book?! THAT IS AWESOME. I really wish her next series would like become na official THING because I need something to hold onto and look out for when I’m finished crying over The Raven King.)
OMG that last one is me. I wrote one book back in 2011 and haven’t written any after that (although I have written short stories). I’m just so scared I’m actually not that creative/imaginative as I like to think I am :O
Although, this morning I came up with a pretty cool idea for a fantasy story… I haven’t written it down yet, but I’ll remember, right…? :’)
DUDE. GO WRITE THAT IDEA DOWN RIGHT NOW, OR I SHALL COME AFTER YOU AND THROW THINGS. 😂 But honestly, the more you write, the more inspiration you get. It really truly works that way!
Ehehehehe I did write it down immediately after leaving my comment. I’m just EVIL LIKE THAT. I think you’re right. I should just start working on this and then all the creative juices will flow (EWWW).
#1 is the one I do most often, I have a horrible memory. The amount of good ideas I have lost is frightening.
Saaaame. I even write stuff down and then LOSE THE NOTES. So basically there is no winning. *screams*
Oh, my dear naive friend! Everyone knows that books can indeed bite you. If you don’t believe me, read Harry Potter and you’ll get your facts straight!
Okay. I CONCEDE. YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT THIS ONE.
Ahhh yes so much truth. Writing struggles!!
WE SUFFER GREATLY. 😂
Number one is my problem. I’ve heard it before and end up saying, “I know they say I’ll forget things if I don’t write it down, but I’m doing the dishes right now, so I’ll just try to remember anyway. It’s such a brilliant idea that I couldn’t forget it and i’ll tell you vaguley what it’s about so I can ask if I do forget.”
Well I didn’t write it down, but I am remembering it now. Thanks Cait, I’ll write it down. After I read some other things.
(Actually I have a piece of paper in front of me, so I can do it now.)
OKAY I HOPE YOU HAVE DONE IT NOW. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING.😂 My worst is when I think “oh I need to write this down” but while I’m LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO WRITE ON…I forget. Agh. Honestly my memory is just that horrible.
I did it.
Oh my goodness, so much truth in every one of these lies haha 🙂 Number 4 rings so true
I’m glad you enjoyed it!! 🎉 🎉
oh my god! especially “I DON’T NEED TO WRITE THAT DOWN, I’LL REMEMBER IT.” I used to “think” i can remember all the plot…but then,,,the next minute…i completely forget what i was about to type. So now…i memo them down immediately!!!
SO SO ME. I do that all the time…still. 😂 Even after writing this post. 😂 😂
I’ve definitely struggled with 7 and 9. I’m terrible at comparing myself and my books to others. It’s a habit I really need to break … 9 I’ve struggled with for a long time too. However, recently I’ve become published in a magazine, so I feel all official now. ^ ^ Thanks for debunking these lies lol.
Oh wow, congrats on being published in a magazine! CAKE FOR YOU! SQUEEEE!!
Thank you. ^ ^
“I’m a freaking engineer. If I told people I wanted to write a book (do people write books or do they write stories which then become books, if published?) they would laugh at me. I won’t be caught dead being laughed at!”
The stigma…
This is one of my favorite posts. I laughed so much!
That is all.
I AM SO GLAD, ASHLEY. *flails*
I literally laughed out loud at the first one. And the worst part? After I’ve gotten burned believing this lie – I still sometimes believe it!! The worst of it is that I think of a lot of ideas while driving when one cannot safely write. I’ve tried recording ideas into my phone and somehow the words in my head get all tangled up when they come out of my mouth so I’ve developed a habit of just repeating them in my head until I get where I’m going and then write them down before I speak to anyone. sometimes this works.
AGH I HEAR YA. One gets the best ideas at the worst times. 😂 I get mine while I’m out walking and there’s nothing to do but repeat them until I get home (WHICH NEVER WORKS BUT WHATEVER … I tried)
Oh, the aspiring writer one gets me all. the. time. BLAH. WHY? I think it is some guilt that school has taken over my writerly time, and it is muy disappointing. But I shall deal. *sigh*
Also, I am very guilty of forgetting things I should have written down. I would give some examples… but I’ve forgotten them all. XD Oh, well. This lying series has been really awesome, Cait! If you can think of something else to keep the series going (I dunno, lies pirates tell themselves or lies Main characters tell themselves or lies YA romance tells itself or whatever) I would love to keep seeing more of these! 😀
Lies pirates tell themselves MUST be next, honestly. MUST BE. Because pirates are dastardly things and we need to call them out on their lies. AHHHHEM. (I feel like a fangirl edition might work?!😂) I’M REALlY GLAD YoU liKED IT THOUGH, OMG. THANK YOU.
And even if we don’t write “all the time” we are STILL WRITERS. HUZZAH.
Oh Cait, I do the thing with the chocolate too. Although it actually can extend to “a cup of tea” or some toast, and it’s really rather silly, especially when eating is necessary and good and it’s not the best idea to use it as a reward, at least not for me. Using baking a new food as a reward is actually a fun idea, though. Like, “take a break and make cookies once you’ve done okay good job”. But I think we writers might often be too harsh on ourselves, telling ourselves we have to accomplish all these things before we can be treated. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. I wonder how we come up with it.
Also, your marmot metaphor is excellent.
I especially identify with number 1– why is it brilliant ideas drop by when you’re supposed to be doing something important or trying to sleep? Then I have to wipe my hands and hunt for a pen or wake up from semi-consciousness to use my memo app and in the process wake up completely and can’t get back to sleep because of the racing adrenaline of ideas. So complicated. And ghastly. And blissful.
Oh yes. Entirely YES it’s complicated. 😂 Sometimes I end up just lying awake for hours because my brain is inventing a really exciting new story and I’m like “NO YOU CANNOT GET UP TO WRITE IT YOU MUST SLEEP”. 😂
(Can you tell I’m catching up on your posts? Sorry I’ve been away so long!) The comment about not writing about things you’ve never experienced is such a real one (not to say that the fear of your book biting you is not completely valid). But you’re so right – if we only had books about things people have actually done, it would be a boring bookish world!
The first one I think can apply to EVERYONE! I mean I can go to bed thinking about a book I’m going to review and the next morning my mind is black…can happen 5 sec after I think something also, but my mind is kind of…strange…what was I doing right now? Right, writing about writing things down…
Um,..and yes taking notes while reading is probably wise and I will start it someday…oh look a spoon…it’s so shiny…what was I thinking…something about writing something down…?
YUP. I thoroughly agree. 😂 Bed is traitorous for swallowing ideas and not giving them back. ;D (Omg but I never take notes while reading….I just read really fast and hope for the best when it comes to reviewing. 😂)
Same here! The best thing is when I try to remember names…XD
#guiltyascharged. The ‘my book bit me’ is not necessarily a lie if your book is The Monster Book of Monsters though 😉 The first one is the one I tell myself the most haha. YOU’D THINK I’VE LEARNED TO JUST WRITE THINGS DOWN ALREADY BUT NOPE. I’M STUBBORN
You said lots of writers write about committing murder quite convincingly. But only a murderer would know if they are doing a good job because none of the readers (hopefully) have killed anyone… RIGHT??? So basically we don’t know if they’re doing a good job at all. They could be doing a HORRIBLE job.
I have to disagree with the “you’re a writer, you have more than one story in you” thing. I don’t think I could ever write more than one story. And I’ve viewed that as kind of a good thing? Because some authors don’t know when to quit. It’s safer to quit while you’re on top – after your first book, in other words. Series’ annoy me. They never end. The audience is never satisfied. The author is out of control. Anybody agree with me???
OKAY FINE. POINT MADE ABOUT THE MURDERS. 😂
But I still maintain that I think ALL authors have multiple stories in them. ;D I mean, I think it’s 100% fine if an author only WANTS to write one story, but I don’t feel like storytelling is ever just something you can do once and then never again? Sure you could just WRITE one book, but I think your brain will always be thinking of other stories. Just my opinion, of course! I’m sorry series annoy you. I love them and many people love them and I honestly have never read a series that didn’t end?? So I’m not sure what you mean there. Authors deserve to make a living and a career out of writing and if they want to write a series and have the publisher willing to do it…then that’s amazing and go them!
Okay, so yeah. Even if I only ever write one book I will probably not quit writing after that so I see what you mean.
Don’t get me wrong. There are many series I have really enjoyed. It’s just the principle of the thing. I like books that can stand alone, ya know?
Some series just seem like sequels to Disney movies – there’s always another one… and ANOTHER one… – where does it end?!? And they get progressively worse because the only really brilliant one was the first… but the fans want more so the author writes more and then the fans pick it to pieces because they’re never as good. Not always, of course, but that’s been my experience.
It’s sad you’ve had a terrible experience with series then.😕 I am sorry for you! Some of my favourite books in the world are series. It’s amazing to get to explore a character and world deeper! But OF COURSE — each to their own. If you like standalones, that’s great. 😀
Which series’ do you like?
So relatable! Especially the book biting one. I still have a wound on my forehead from the time I couldn’t come up with the next plot twist. SO THE BOOK BIT ME THE LITTLE DEVIL.
AHHHH. Books are definitely evil little beasts sometimes.😂 I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKED THE POST!!
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