One of the challenges we have to face navigating through life as human is dealing with standards established by people or institutions around us, some of these standards has a way of limiting us from going after the things that have the possibility of bringing us success or the fulfilment we desire in life.
I have come to the realization that one of the things that is holding most people back from sharing their wisdom, knowledge or skills through writings, is not lack of writing ability or time to write, rather it’s myth, some misconception of what it takes to become a writer or what writing is all about.
In this post we will look at 6 misconceptions most people have that is preventing them from sharing their skills, knowledge, ideas, wisdom or imagination with the world through writings.
1. The Impression myth
The most preventive among all these myths that limit people from sharing with the world their potential through writing is the impression myth, the idea people have about how their writings have to look or sound for people to like them.
Some people have already created a mental picture of what good writing should look like. Probably, based on what one Institute that oversees writings or what one textbook has said about writing for public or because they want to sound like a graduate, so they always try to measure up to a picture in their mind, when they can’t see themselves meeting up to those standards, they start feeling that, writing is not something for them.
But this is just a belief system (BS), there is no predefined standard of writing, the impression that is important in the act of sharing your potentials through writings is the impression you press upon your readers, not the one the world around you press upon you.
As a writer, in every given instance, your ultimate goal should be to give your readers your lens to see things the way you see things, to help them understand, you will want to press upon your readers your thoughts or opinions not to impress them and not to play by any rules of what writing should look like.
If you can get this idea, that all the rules and regulations out there about how writing should look, sound or be presented are less important to why you want to share your ideas through writing, you would have broken the chain that’s holding most people back from sharing their skills, knowledge, ideas, wisdom, experience and imagination with the world.
You will understand that writing in the tone you talk still makes you a writer.
2. The vocabulary myth
Most people think that, as a writer, they must be good at using big words, even me too, I struggled with this earlier, I thought I needed to be grammatically sophisticated to prove myself as a writer.
Big words don’t make a writer, how clearly you can paint the ideas in your mind with words on a blank page is what is more important as a writer.
What is important in every piece of written content is, the message the writer tries to pass across through words, if you can make your message clear with a primary school grammar, trust me, your readers will appreciate it.
Rather than worrying about big words, the question to always ask here is, is it clear enough? Can my readers read and understand the point I’m trying to make here?
3. The Presentation myth
Another thing most people worry about is how their writings should appear in a post or book.
Because they are not comfortable with the structure, they will decide not to put their writings out there.
The idea and conventional rules of how paragraphing, indenting, commas, periods and all other structural elements in writings are some of the challenges that prevent most people from sharing their potential through writings.
The goal as a writer is not to have a great structure, the goal should always be to make your writings readable.
While you can learn and find better ways to structure your writings as you progress in your writing journey, your major focus should be to present readable written words to your readers.
4. The talent and genius myth
Most people still think becoming a writer is for people who are super genius or with extraordinary intelligent quotient (IQ).
I used to fall for this, but the thing is, writers are normal human beings just like you and I, they are normal people who decided to use the same resources that are available to us all (post, books, etc.) to improve their self and then decide to share the skills, knowledge, ideas, wisdom, experience and imagination they have acquired or developed in the process.
You don’t have to be a super genius, to share your thoughts with the world, and your ideas don’t have to be like that of Thomas Edison before it can be worth sharing.
If you have ideas within you, that you feel need to be heard, you need to put it out there, because it worth it.
The entire world might not hear about you, but the little impact your ideas will be making within your circle or community is what is needed to make the world a better place.
5. The style myth
Finding a writing style is an interesting adventure for every writer.
But, if you are starting on the writer’s journey, and have read and collected a list of what it takes to become a great writer and maybe, having your style of writing is among your list, trust me that list might be the reasons why people are not yet reading your writings.
Having your style is great as a writer, but this is something that might not happen for most writer until they have started down the writer’s journey.
The thing is, when expressing yourself through writings, readability and understanding is more important than any other thing, in fact, these two things are supposed to be the fountain of your writing style and voice.
Focusing on style can make the whole writing thing boring, but when you focus on writing something another person will read and understand the whole thing becomes fun, then finding your style becomes easier.
6. The length myth
Some people think writers have to always write thousands of words, before they can be seen as writers.
That is not true, you don’t have to write 1000+ words like this post as a writer, If you can use plenty of words to express your ideas that is fine, but if you can convey your ideas within 100 to 300 words instead of 1000 words, that is even more preferable.
Words do not define a writer what defines a writer is the ability to express his or her thoughts or imagination in a clear, understanding and empathic way.
Final thoughts
I believe there are no rules in becoming a writer or in writing, most of the rules to follow in writing should be the ones we set for ourselves.
The reason I believe this is the best approach to becoming a writer or getting started in anything is that traditional or conventional rules might prevent you from starting but if you start you can always learn the rules and improve in the process.
The ultimate goal with your writing should be to communicate your thoughts or feelings as clearly as possible, when you focus on this ultimate goal you will see why you shouldn’t have waited this long to start sharing your knowledge, ideas, experience and imagination with the world.
What has been holding you back from becoming the writer you wish to become? share in the comments section.
