What I Thought Writing Would Be vs. What Writing Actually Is
When you first decide to become a writer, the world seems full of promise. You imagine yourself effortlessly creating masterpieces while sipping coffee at a cozy café, maybe a montage of you typing furiously as dramatic music plays in the background. Then reality hits, and... well, here’s a look at how it actually plays out.
Expectation 1: The Inspiration Strikes Like Lightning
I’ll be struck by a brilliant idea out of nowhere! It will flow through me like a river of creativity, and I’ll write the next great novel in a matter of days.
Stares at a blinking cursor for hours, wondering why the idea you thought was “genius” now sounds like something your dog might’ve written after stepping on the keyboard.
Expectation 2: Writing Will Be a Flowing, Effortless Experience
I’ll sit down, and the words will pour out of me. I’ll type 5,000 words in one sitting. I’m basically a machine.
Three hours later, you’ve written 100 words. The 101st word you tried to type came out as “dog.” Your back hurts. Your fingers are cramping. You think you might actually be dying.
Expectation 3: The First Draft Will Be Perfect
I’ll write the first draft and it will be polished, like it just came out of an editing software for the gods.
Expectation 4: Editing Will Be Fun and Quick
Once I’ve finished writing the first draft, the real fun begins! I’ll go through and clean it up in a few hours. It'll be smooth sailing.
Editing takes FOREVER. You’re reading the same paragraph for the third time in a row, and your brain has melted into a puddle of mush.
Every time you think it’s done, you spot a new typo, a plot hole the size of a small country, or a character suddenly turning into a completely different person for no apparent reason.
Expectation 5: Writing Will Bring Fame, Fortune, and Glory
I’ll write one book, and it will become a bestseller. Movie deals will follow. I’ll be swimming in royalties.
You’re lucky if your cat reads your work, and even then, she probably falls asleep halfway through. You’re too busy Googling “How to make a living as a writer” to care about anything else.
Expectation 6: I’ll Have All the Time in the World to Write
I’ll have an entire day to just write and create. It’s going to be glorious.
You work full time, have a social life, and your laundry pile is reaching new, terrifying heights. You end up writing in ten-minute intervals while waiting for the microwave to finish.
Expectation 7: I’ll Never Run Out of Ideas
I’ll never hit a creative block. Ideas will always come to me, and I’ll never suffer from a lack of inspiration.
You hit a wall. You stare at the screen. Your brain is a blank void. You have a million ideas, but none of them seem to work, and you think you’ve just invented a new type of writer’s block that has never been documented before.
Expectation 8: Writing Will Be Rewarding and Fulfilling
I’ll write because I love it. I’ll feel fulfilled, like a true artist.
You write because you love it, but also because you’re obsessed and slightly delusional. There are moments of joy, yes, but also lots of moments where you question your sanity and whether this whole writing thing was a mistake.
