Writer Stereotypes 101

When you picture a writer, the accepted image is a misanthrope with glasses hunched over their computer, possibly clutching a cup of a tea. If they have tea, then they’re more of a charming curmudgeon. If they have Scotch, that’s when you should be worried. Here are some other things people think when they imagine writers and whether or not they’re true.

1.        Writers are mean.

False. Going to conferences and pitching agents alongside way too many other hopefuls does feel like The Hunger Games… but everyone involved is a fluffy bunny. They tell you how cool they think your work is, and they actually mean it.

2.        Writers are jealous.

True. At this point it’s less of a green-eyed monster and more like a pack of them. They’ve moved into the forest and have started preying on the native fauna, aka your self-esteem.

3.        Writers are anti social.

False. “Anti social” is a word invented by extroverts for when they’re concerned that you’ve started to live exclusively in your sweatpants. They don’t understand how comfy those are.

4.        Writers like cats.

True. You will never see more cats than in a critique group zoom meeting.

5.        Writers are eccentric.

True. Though we prefer the word “individual” or possibly “neurospicy.” We have to write whole books just to understand ourselves. It feels like spelunking—every so often you come across a new fungus or weird breed of cave fish and think “Wow, what is that” or “I should get that looked at.” (That’s when you call your therapist. Usually, they tell you that there’s nothing really wrong, the voices in your head are just eccentric.)