10 MYTHS ABOUT A WRITER’S LIFE

by Deborah Elliott-Upton

1. It must be exciting to be a writer.

Sometimes it is. I love getting an idea, jotting it down on a piece of paper and thinking about it until I can get to my computer. I love the excitement of my fingers not being able to hit the keys fast enough because the plot and the characters are jumping off the page and intermingling with my thoughts and fingers on the keyboard. But most of the time, I am rewriting. Rewriting is about as far away from exciting as anything I can imagine.

2. If you’re published, you must be rich.

It would be nice to think we lived in the days where a publisher paid a writer $10,000 for a short story. (Reportedly, this was the norm for Hemingway and his cronies, but the economic situation is no longer allowing such luxuries.) In fact, the magazine markets are slowly shrinking and many of them ditch fiction in order to cut costs. In my opinion, it will require those of us who enjoy a good short story in a magazine to stand up and tell the editors this is why we probably purchased the magazine in the first place. Okay, that and the cover featuring a celebrity who has probably been paid something a lot closer to the Hemingway figure than the writers — any of the writers on staff or freelance are receiving.

3. Once you’re published, you’re famous.

Most of the people in my small city probably have no idea of my profession. Even though I work as much on the marketing aspect of writing, not everyone knows about me as a writer. Some may remember my articles in the newspaper, they don’t always notice the byline — even fellow writers are guilty of this.

4. You must live a luxurious life.

I still do my own laundry and scrub my own floors, so what exactly do you mean by luxurious? However, if one of my characters perform these jobs, I can lend authenticity to my story.

5. Writers must be confident individuals.

Any writer has a certain confidence when he submits anything he’s written to someone he doesn’t know who can decide to make him published or not. Confidence rises and falls like a rolling surf. When the big one comes in, sometimes it is the writer who is most surprised. The main thing is to ride the wave all the way and enjoy the moment for what it is a temporary thing. As a writer, you are only as good as your last project and only for a certain amount of time. Writers may not rest on their laurels too long.

6. Why do writers keep writing after they are rich and famous?

Having others read what we write is often more important than the pay — although making money is always a good thing. Fame is fickle. Having written something worth reading is its own reward.

7. You write realistically about police, so you must have a background in law enforcement.

Some do and I am sure their stories benefit from the experience. Some of us haven’t had the privilege, so we do ride-alongs with police officers, ask a lot of questions and do exhaustive research to make our stories believable. I also write about lawyers without benefit of a law degree and serial killers without ever committing a murder.

8. Working at home must be great since you can take a break anytime you want.

I suppose it’s true we can stop for coffee or run down to the store in the middle of the day, but most writers have another job to support them while they’re writing on their lunch hour or into the wee hours of the morning when the rest of the household is asleep. For those who are able to stay at home and write, it is still a job putting oneself in front of the computer until a certain number of words per day are committed to the page. Like being self-employed, no money comes in if no work is done. Long ago my grandpa told me to find a job I’d do for free and I’d never work a day in my life. For me, it’s writing.

9. A writer must get tired autographing books when their book signings have lines around the block.

Maybe they do, but most — even many New York Times bestselling authors — never reach that category. Most book signings are small enough and sporadic in attendance to offer a chance to have a one-on-one short conversation with an author. I always take the opportunity to chat with my favorite authors when that chance is available to me. I imagine authors would be thrilled to be tired autographing books.

10. When you’re a writer, everyone is impressed with your success.

Not everyone, but most of us aren’t trying to impress anyone; we’d just like to entertain them for a while.