Although it is one of the most fantasized professions in the world, being a writer means voluntarily signing up for an immensely nerve-wrecking job.
Not unlike celebrities, writers too have to put up with a lot of behind-the-scenes struggles.
Here are some accurate difficulties that every writer has indisputably encountered in their life:
1. Borderline Insanity
Not borderline insanity, but what feels like it. Scouring our world for metaphors and ironies, we look for meaning in the most meaningless scenarios. No wonder most people equate writers to delusional maniacs [not all writers are].
Lord Byron, the renowned English poet, had a profound love for animals. Angry that his school forbade pet dogs, Lord B brought a tame bear instead. What’s more, he even suggested that the bear could apply for a fellowship!
In a 2012 study by Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, it was found that people in creative professions were 8% more likely to live with bipolar disorder.
2. High levels of Insecurity
Writers are either really confident about their work or absolutely detest it [very few live in between]. The ever-increasing growth of social media and its far-reaching popularity has added to our insecurities.
Huffington Post bridged a connection between social media and the increasing insecurities of writers through a unique study: most people analyze the worth of their composition along the lines of the number of Facebook likes or shares it has received.
Most writers continue to experience difficulties in ‘coming out of the closet.’
3. Writer’s Block
Writer’s Block is a never-ending war that writers wage on themselves. It is one of the toughest internal struggles. It’s quite common for writers to spend hours trying to come up with a good idea for the next article, plot or character.
But why do we experience writer’s block?
4. Multiple Personality Disorder
Part-writer, part-philosopher, part-stationery addict. Writers are likely to have ‘split personalities’. We’re constantly thinking and developing theories out of thin air. We’re on the constant lookout for ‘the perfect angle’ for our stories.
An English major from NYUAD who chose to remain anonymous states,
The greatest struggle would be the constant flow of ideas when you’re not writing. Oh, look an eraser, maybe I could write something about erasers. Let’s see: ‘Why erasers are the cutest?’, ‘The rise and fall of the rubber industry’, ’10 reasons why you don’t need an eraser’. Oh my god, so many ideas what am I going to do? But when you actually get down to writing, you’re staring at the screen where you’ve written ‘Erasers are cool’
5. Obsession with Stationary
Now this may seem odd, but it’s true more often than not: Most writers have a strange obsession with stationary [this is obviously not based on study but commonplace observations].
A writer might choose vintage stationery over people.
From the B-Change Community: Writer’s Word
We asked our writers what their greatest challenges were as writers. We got some interesting answers:
No one takes you seriously when you say you want to make a career out of writing. There’s always a lot of ‘but what about making money’. I think young writers, especially, have to fight a lot of that crap or else they’d start doubting themselves.
— Sushmita Pathak
The restriction imposed upon creativity, due to the whole constraint of censorship, or sometimes even something as simple as making sure you don’t hurt other people’s sentiments.
—Karan Naik
You might like: Why We Write: 8 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Writing
Disclaimer: We do not intend on grouping all writers under one umbrella. We’re not fans of stereotypes, either. This is just a relatable article if you’re a writer today. If you don’t relate, you’re different and that’s always cool.
Are you a writer? What other struggles have we forgotten to mention here? Tell us in the comments below.
Read next: 7 Quiet Spots to Read for Free in UAE