The Myth of the Self-Taught Writer
The Myth of the Self-Taught Writer
Believing it may be holding you back
Believing it may be holding you back
Is the writing industry just out to sell you things?
A writer whose friendship, critiques of my work, and world view I treasure recently told me about a webinar she had watched. It was about writing and had been quite useful to her.
And yet, she had thoughts. Doubts, maybe. The writer who offered the webinar laid out a specific process to follow for designing the plot of your novel. Useful, yes, but it also leaned a bit to the dogmatic side. Apologetically, since I’m a writing teacher and coach, my friend wondered aloud to me if this was what those of us active in the writing industry actually did:
Do we make up processes and exercises and techniques just to be different? To have a unique point of view, a unique approach to sell? To have A signature thing that we pitch? She suspected this was the case.
I begged to differ. I offered the idea that many experts come up with a solution that works for them and then share it, and I stand by this opinion. But my friend is correct that writing is an industry and it is full of experts waiting to advise you. (Including me.)
And what is wrong with that?
We Americans are fiercely independent in our ways. It’s an inbred part of our psyches. We question everything, and follow our own paths with tenacity. (See: our current political climate.)Thus, we sometimes tend to be suspicious of people who offer us help and solutions.
And that leaves room for myths like that of the self-taught writer to arise.
Enter the myth of the self-taught writer
I’ll never forget an evening in L.A. a few years ago when a screenwriting friend waxed poetic for quite some time about how he was a self-taught writer. “I’ve never read any of those craft books,” he bragged. “I just do what comes naturally.”
And perhaps this is an unfair judgement, but he’s also never sold a screenplay. There is no way to know if studying craft would help him sell his screenplays so I won’t go there (never mind that I already have by bringing it up).
Even though I’ve been a professional writer of articles, books, novels and copy for years, and a writing teacher and coach I still avidly take classes and study the craft of writing. First of all, because I enjoy it. And second, because there is always something new to learn about the writing craft.
Which is why it never bores me. I’ve dabbled in multiple interests over the years, including gardening, sewing, fashion design, life coaching, tarot and astrology, wine, and more. Some have stuck and become a part of my life, if not a passion, and others have fallen by the wayside.
One Way to Improve Your Writing
And it’s easy, toomedium.com
But my fascination with writing has remained a constant precisely because there’s always something new to learn.
Writing is a lifelong study
Another story:
I was once at a social event with the parents of my daughter’s friends. This couple had been high-powered corporate executives who had flown around the world for their jobs. In other words, highly sophisticated people. At the time of the conversation, I was studying for my MFA.
“How long is that graduate program?” the woman asked.
I explained that it was a two-year program, and that because I was doing it low-residency style, I wrote at home, with regular trips to Louisville for orientations.
She looked at me in shock. “I would have thought you could learn everything there is to know about writing in six months.”
This was one of the few times when I said just the right thing in the moment. “Many people think it takes a lifetime to master the craft of writing.”
And that is the attitude that writers need to foster, an attitude of joy because there is so much to learn and master, and there is always room for improvement.
And, a caveat
And, as with all things, there is a flip side to this. You can get a bit too engaged in following what others say. You do need to let your own creativity flow before you start seriously listening to others.
Because always hewing to the opinions and dogma of others can stifle creativity. Recently, I took a zoom class with the wonderfully flamboyant and creative knitting designer, Stephen West. (Knitting being one of the passions that has stuck with me.)
He encourages knitters to relax and play with their yarn and see where it goes. “Do something without worrying about the end result,” he said. And he also encouraged us to quit trying to achieve perfection, to go with the flow, and let go of your inner critical voice. When he puts the pressure of perfection on himself, he ends up with ugly creations.
All of these words easily apply to knitting — or any creative process.
“You learn the most by making mistakes,” West said. And I would add that learn was the operative word. Make mistakes and learn from them. Figure out why your writing didn’t work. And to do this you may have to seek help through a book, a Google search, a class, or a coach.
Learn from your mistakes.
Too often, we creatives make a mistake and give up, telling ourselves we can’t do it, aren’t good enough, will never figure it out. But if you change that attitude to one of okay, I’ll learn from this goof, it changes everything.
Writing is a two-part process
First of all, let your creativity rip. Let the words flow. Focus on process, not product. Encourage an attitude of openness and willingness to try new things in yourself. Spend time only writing, whether it is in a journal, or to writing prompts, or working on a discovery draft of a longer story.
Writing Prompts Aren’t Just for Beginners
How to use them and why you shouldwritingcooperative.com
And second, cast a discerning eye upon your work. What does it need? Do you need to learn more about a certain aspect of it? Do you need to study the theory of story, or research how to create a compelling fictional character? Do you know how to approach rewriting?
Moral of the story
Writing lets you go crazy with your creativity wherever it takes you — and then it allows you to learn new things, if only you will let it. What could be a better use of your time than that?
You can sign up for my weekly love letter, with missives on writing, creativity, and more, here.