Several years ago a friend graduated from FLETC (the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center). Naturally, I gave her a refresher course in case she forgot her training, namely all the films I could find that included Secret Service agents. Guarding Tess. In the Line of Fire. Dave. Imagine my surprise when she said none of them were accurate.
The fact is Hollywood gets most things wrong in this world, but no more so than when they portray the life of a writer. In most movies writers are seen as tired old hacks on the verge of collapse (The Wonder Boys and Adaptation), wildly popular (Romancing the Stone) with crazed fans (Misery), on the verge of insanity themselves (The Shining), living the hedonistic artistic life (Moulin Rouge), blocked (Barton Fink), addicted (Naked Lunch), or some other commonly held assumption about writers. What they do not do well is reflect what it is like to actually be a writer.
We are not all those things. Some are. Most are not. We are as varied as people on the planet. Mostly it’s important to note that writing is not glamourous. It does not require the perfect little cottage or mansion or desk or coffee house of your dreams to be successful. There are no perfect pens or muses, no ideal score playing behind the clicking of the keys. Writing is showing up. It’s sitting long enough to string together sentences that make sense and flow together. It’s being patient enough to go through a manuscript as many times as it takes to make it right. It’s telling stories that keep readers turning pages. It’s writing no matter where you are or what time it is no matter if you are in the mood or not.
Writing is stealing pockets of time every day to write or edit. It’s setting a schedule and sticking to it. It’s not giving into procrastination, Netflix, excuses or that incredible fatigue that sets in when it’s time to work.
Writing is a job and needs to be treated as such. You have to show up and do the work. You have to take it seriously and professionally. You have to respect it. You have to feed it. And you have to be realistic. The truth is writing does not pay well for most who commit to it. It certainly doesn’t pay enough for fabulous apartments in New York City or isolated cabins with no neighbors in sight. If you are waiting for those conditions before you write, you will never begin.
It’s easy to watch movies and get caught up in the myths. To believe that if only you had that perfect writing spot or pen or view, you would be able to write the masterpiece lurking within you. It’s normal to feel like external objects or conditions are necessary to write a story. It’s what we see in the movies. But that is not reality. Forget the set dressing and movie magic.
Writing is about creating your world. It’s about diving into your characters and bringing them to life. It’s about finding the perfect word or phrase or transition to make your story sing. It’s about telling a good story. None of the rest of it matters.
Don’t get distracted by portrayals of what a writer is. Just be one. Pick up your pen or laptop and begin.