Of all the jobs, that of a writer is probably one of the most Myths has associated with him. The vast majority of them are not new, but have been created over the centuries, sometimes even by the writers themselves to give a mystical halo to their craft. Although if they really believed in these myths, or it was a preconceived strategy, I leave it up to each one of them.
First of all, I would like to point out something: when I speak of "writing" or "writers," I am referring to "writing novels" and "novelist" respectively, even though I am aware that they are not synonymous. After all, it is impossible to analyze all forms of literary art (poetry, theater, etc.) in a single article. With that said, let's see algunos myths associated with the art of writing novels.
"You need talent to write"
Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates talented individuals from successful people is a lot of hard work. "
StephenKing.
Let's start with a classic: "I can't be a writer because I have no talent". Error. You can't be a novelist because you haven't worked hard enough to be one, because you're not passionate about spending your time writing, or for a thousand other reasons. But lack of talent is not one of them.
In all fairness, a lack of natural talent can be a big bump in the road, but it is by no means a determining factor. Like all work, that of a novelist is learned. No one is born knowing how to write by infused science, no matter how much some people think. After all, a large part of the truths that we believe in, if we stop to analyze them, turn out to have neither head nor tail.
The truth is that talent alone does not guarantee that you are a great writer. At most it can serve to make the trip more comfortable, but it will not carry your bags for you.
"To write you need to be inspired"
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
Thomas Alba Edison.
This myth bothers me especially, because of how widespread it is and how many people believe in it. Many people think that a novel should be written on inspiration., as if the writer were unable to put a single comma without the intervention of his muse. But let's think about this: isn't it ridiculous to believe that a novel of, say, six hundred pages can only be written when you're inspired?
Writers aren't always, but still they have to dedicate themselves to their work every day, like ordinary mortals. At least if you want to be productive and not take your whole life to write a single novel. Option, on the other hand, quite respectable, but impractical.
To be a writer, the most important thing is perseverance, writing every day. Because unfortunately, many times the muses have better things to do than knock on your door.
"Writing is not a job"
"Everyone can write, but not everyone is a writer."
Joel Dicker.
In the middle of 2018, it is surprising that many still think that "writing is not a job", but it happens. Perhaps it is because, from the outside, it seems something very easy, because at this time the vast majority of people in developed countries can read and write. But It is one thing to write an email, a report, or a letter, and quite another to write literature..
In the same way that no one would consider himself a musician if he did not know how to sing or play an instrument, why is there the false belief that anyone is a writer? We are all potentially everything, but to get to that point requires work and prior effort..
This myth, which curiously contradicts the first, it can be disassembled in a very simple way: proposing to the person who believes in it to write a novel. The answers never disappoint.
True.