Writing tip # 11 - Writing is HARD

 Hey! Time for another writing tip. This one isn't really a tip, as they go, but it is a fact. Writing is HARD.

Most people have this stereotypical idea of writers, that they live lives behind their computers, only rarely coming out to accept writing awards and things like that. Mostly because that's what the movies portray.  If you don't have this idea, you have probably tried writing a book at some point, with a serious eye to publishing.

Writing is not sunshine and roses. Often, writers live and die without getting any kind of major recognition while they live, sometimes never getting it. 

A writer is the ultimate chameleon. They have to understand what goes on in the head of a 30 year old investment banker, at the same time as knowing what a six year old girl would be thinking. And it has to be portrayed in a convincing way. A writer has to be able to envision people they'll never meet and describe them accurately to a reader.

A writer also has to know a lot about the world they're writing in. Small details need to be hashed out, because you could be missing a major plot hole somewhere if you don't explain how your main character came to know some obscure bit of information. This doesn't mean you should know every detail, though, because then you'll spend the entire time world building and never get to write.

A writer also has to know things about the character that will never reach the page, but could influence the person's actions. A good example of this being explained is actually in a novel, Brandon Sanderson's The Emperor's Soul.

Beyond the technical hardness, there's also the need to actually sit down and write while ignoring distractions. Like now, for example. I'm writing this blog post instead of working on my next book. 

Writing has lots of background work that no one sees. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't write. If you are a writer, you will want to keep writing in spite of everything I've just told you, in spite of the difficulty. If what I've said makes you shake your head, maybe consider a different outlet for your creativity.

Thanks! Don't forget to check back tomorrow for Pandora's take on the legend of Medusa.