Writers spend so much time trying to determine when they will be a “real” writer. Just like the stereotype that all accountants wear green eyeshades, the stereotypes about writers persist whether they are accurate or not.
> from article Personality Traits of a Real Writer - by Julie Hood
[image: Winona Ryder as Jo in film Little [...]
Entries from October 2006
Identifying yourself as a "real writer"
Octavia Butler (1947 - 2006) - "she was very very shy"
In a brief autobiography, Butler described herself simply: “I’m comfortably asocial - a hermit in the middle of a large city, a pessimist if I’m not careful, a feminist, a Black, a former Baptist, an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty and drive.”
At the age of 4 she created stories about a magical horse; [...]
Annie Dillard: “spend it all every time”
One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time.
Do not hoard what seems good for a later place… Something more will arise for later, something better. …
Assume you write for an audience consisting solely of terminal patients. That is, [...]
Motivation to write
What motivates for one person may not motivate another. … But motivation is an essential ingredient for your success.
Ask yourself, why do you want to write that book? What good will come of it? Both for yourself, and for others. Now, expand on that good.
Specifically what will it mean? How will your life be improved [...]
