Not all writers have a life like J. K. Rowling’s. First of all, not all writers write fictional stories about a cool magic school and a kid with a scar on the forehead. The point is not to compare every writer with J. K. Rowling and what she stands for. But instead, it’s to emphasize that writers are not one breed.
Most of the time, people end up grouping writers into one category. However, the following are the common misconceptions and stereotypes about people in the writing profession:
1. Writers Have Impeccable Grammar
Avid book readers know that it’s not a rare occurrence to spot a grammar or spelling mistake in a book. Does this mean the writer is incompetent? Not at all.
First off, human error. No one is perfect, and even if writers deal with words as their bread and butter, it doesn’t mean that they have the whole grammar rule book memorized. Will Dmitri Mendeleev turn in his grave if a chemist looks at the periodic table of elements to ensure they got the right metalloid? Even accountants use calculators, so cut writers some slack.
Outside of the writer’s grammatical strength, there are other reasons why some books contain errors. Sometimes, it’s a case of a strong typo that got through multiple rounds of proofreading undetected. And to go back to the initial argument, editors and proofreaders, like writers and accountants, make mistakes.
You also have to know that some books that end up on your bookshelf did not necessarily go through a series of heavy proofreading. Some are self-published, which means the writer may not have had enough budget to afford a proofreader.
Next time you spot one, feel free to call the publisher or keep on reading.
2. Writers Are Introverts
When you think of a writer, do you have an image of a person writing alone in a dim corner of their room? Probably they are using a typewriter. And then, there are empty bottles of alcohol on the side. It’s hard to trace from where this stereotype stemmed.
The empty alcohol bottles aside, most people assume that writers are introverts. Probably because Edgar Allan Poe preferred to stay indoors, this is like the stereotype about scientists having no social life because they are awkward. To assume that a whole population has the same personality is straight-up senseless.
The writing world is filled with various kinds of people. Some writers may need to work in a quiet environment to get their creative juices flowing, but this doesn’t mean they are introverts. Also, just because someone is an introvert doesn’t mean all they do is stay in a quiet corner of a room. Did you know that the most successful performers are introverts?
3. There Is No Money in Writing
Writing is probably one of the professions that your parents would stop you from dreaming of. There is some truth to writing being a path where you can’t expect to be earning heaps of money. Also, this could have been from a time when technology wasn’t that great yet.
But nowadays, there are so many opportunities for writers. Maybe this stereotype is really from the time when there were limited options for people who liked writing. It was often just fiction, and truth be told, it’s tough to get a fictional book in the limelight.
However, becoming famous or getting your writing known isn’t as difficult as before because of technology. There are platforms now that allow user-generated content to be “published” online. You can earn from every person who reads your work.
At the same time, there are many kinds of writers now. It’s not limited to writing fiction and expertise-based books anymore. Some writers write educational materials for educational institutions. One industry where writers can make some serious money is in digital marketing. Often they knit tales to convince people on the internet to take action. Some create promotional pieces and offer search engine optimization services. And others write from personal experience as bloggers. Behind witty and captivating commercials are excellent writers. All these can pay you well.
The advent of some technology ushered in the rise of industries where writing is one of the critical components. The advertising industry alone employs many talented writers. Both freelancing and business opportunities abound. You can earn by becoming a freelance writer or building your own writing agency.
Most of these stereotypes are outdated. However, these are generally harmless, and writers probably laugh about it. And frankly, most stereotypes about any profession probably can’t be any farther from the truth.