Whenever I stumble through the internet I always manage to land on sites whose titles are something like, "25 Things Every Writer Should Know," or "Beware the Writer." The two things that appear in almost every article are that writers are completely insane and just a bit insecure. Anyway, I was simply wondering if anyone saw any truth in this.
LIES AND RUBBISH!!! I WAS INSANE LONG BEFORE I STARTED WRITING, And I will be when I am finished writing! Cheers! Mobhit
Stereotypes is all... Everyone has issues, but you can tell I'm not insecure, and I'm an AWESOME writer.
The only things a writer needs to know are: 1) How to write 2) How to find the correct market 3) Where to buy top rammen.
I must confess--I'm totally insecure about my writing, at least about creative writing. All other types of writing I feel perfectly confident about.
Start doing small readings in semi-public areas. It will make you MUCH more confident. That and critiquing. I cannot stress how much critiquing improves writing. It also makes you see how much better your writing has become (since we all get better with time right?) versus other people.
Everyone feels at least a little insecure and insane at times... Doesn't matter whether you're a writer or a scientist or a stripper or a CEO or a grocery bagger or a student or a lawyer. Those ads are everywhere. On my Facebook, I get ads that target me as a student --I must feel insecure about my test performance, so I should look at these past exams (even though doing so would either cost me money that as a student I don't have or would be so accurate it'd be considered cheating). I'm also a horseback rider, so I obviously cant relate well with 'normal' people, so I need to check out this Cowboy-2-Cowgirl site for people who will really get me! So yes, there's truth in it, but it's of course not singular to writers. We're not special. Everyone feels insecure and insane about their passions (and for some of us, our career choices).
I am insane, friend. Not overly insane, but I've had people tell me that I'm a bit off. And that suits me just fine. =D
Considering how many writers have been teachers, I don't think the 'insecure' bit is necessarily true. It's not as easy as it looks, standing up in a classroom or lecture hall in front of a bunch of bored-looking teenagers who are only there because it's a compulsory requirement. And it takes quite a tough ego to keep on going and get yourself published. Writers are tougher than they are cracked up to be...
I'd rather be insane than boring. Unfortunately, I fear I may both. We all need to have a touch of insanity in order to create make-believe worlds and people. Such things are not in touch with the real world at all, therefore, no thoroughly sane person would be able to create them... That's one take on the subject.
If by insane you mean being able to think outside the box and come up with something others can't then yeah I'd say writers should be insane. But insane as in without reason and danger to themselves and others then it's quite far fetched. Writers need to be able to have flexible and fertile minds to be able to create something that hasn't been created yet. Writing is an act of creation therefore we need to have the will to expand beyond what we know. As for insecurity I'd say there is no difference from non-writers. I'm insecure about my body that's out of shape but if somebody reads my stories then I have no problem with it.
I'd argue you need to be far far more in touch with the world than normal people to create convincing ones - even if they are fantasies. But we've seen too many threads get derailed and locked, so I'd better not poke this too much, unless someone wants to start a thread.
I'm insanely insecure. How's that? I know that a lot of writers don't fit either of those stereotypes but if they do, I completely understand it. To view our writing is to take a look into our most private thoughts, dreams, and creations. You are stepping into a world that we hold to ourselves so closely. I think that there is a little terror that a lot of writers feel when we first start off, if not for longer than that. It is hard to comfortably let someone see something so sacred.
Sanity is subjective, though I like to think of myself as Creative rather than Insane. If you're insecure about your writing, don't be, it's YOUR writing at the end of the day.
Well, I think calling us insane would be taking it a bit far. The writers I know are very creative, pulling brilliant ideas out of thin air. I think they just have a different thought process, or a different view of things than other people. I suppose we are all a bit insecure about something we put great effort into; we want everyone else to like it as much as we do.
I don't know what "insane" would mean in a traditional sense. I see insanity as something detrimental to the individual and to society. Yet many things that neither hurt the person at mind or his or hers social circle can be rendered "insane". I think for writing you need to be a little imaginative. With that comes the liability of being experimental with the way you approach life. I have written creatively for quite a while now - I also behave in a way that might raise a few eyebrows in people who don't know me. I always tell my friends "it is my goal to be socially outcast". - No success thus far
As some writers say, 'It's not insanity, it's creativity!' I subscribe to that theory myself a bit. It's not dangerous insanity, but characters and stories have stayed in my head for so long it's almost like they're different personalities of mine.
The way you've described "insanity" is, at best, completely flawed. Look up insanity in any well-respected dictionary, and you'll see just how off-base you are. For insecurity, it could be said that there is no difference from those who don't write, but the way I look at it is, if you're going to write something, you damn well BETTER have something to not feel secure about. Or else you wouldn't want to be tackling the issue (if you're a GOOD writer, that is).
