Writing Myths

 The reason for this post comes from my reading Melissa Donovan's Debunking Common Myths About Writing on Writing Forward. She lists six, but I want to emphasize three.

Myth: Good grammar is unnecessary if you want your writing to be raw and edgy.

Truth: Writing is raw and edgy because of what it communicates, not because it’s peppered with typos and constructed with poorly structured sentences. Bad grammar and weak sentences are not interesting or original; shoddy writing signals a lack of professionalism, laziness, and the absence of skill.

Myth: We should only write when we’re inspired.

Truth: Writers must learn how to get inspired and stay inspired. And we also need to learn how to get our work done even when we’re not feeling inspired. Otherwise, we’ll produce a whole lot of nothing.

Myth: Artistic success is borne of pure talent.

Truth: Talent is a booster, not the foundation upon which a successful artistic career is built. There’s no single ingredient that leads to success. Talent helps, but hard work, commitment, and self-discipline help a lot more.

Myth: You don’t need to hone your creative writing skills because you have natural talent.

Truth: No matter how talented you are, you are not born knowing how to read and write. There is work to be done!

I keep harping here on the fact I gave up any serious attempts at writing 40 years ago. People thought I had talent, but I did not. Like Lou Reed said, you need a busload of faith to get by.

You also need to work - point also made by Lou Reed. Talent is not enough, without the effort made to understand how to tell a story talent is an inert substance. I made the commitment to work (Brother Lou being in my head) with whatever talent I had by learning what I could about the art of writing, by reading all I could of the best writing available to me, and reading my own stuff with enough faith to revise and revise and revise until it is as good as it can be (and it never is as good as it possibly can be). See, no writer made it on their first drafts. No writer did not have to sweat over characters and syntax and the best word possible.

I write this hoping someone who thinks they can write, but fears going on with it, does not quit. 

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