5 Writing Myths and Misconceptions

By Nils Osmar, artistic teacher in Seattle teaches a range of artistic expressions.  From learning how to write stories to drawing portraits, Nils is a great resource for all of your artistic needs.

In my writing classes, I like to start off by looking at attitudes about writing that may be interfering with the process. Your writing is likely to go better, and be more fun, if you toss the preconceived ideas out, or at least question them.  Here are a few attitudes I consider myths, and I encourage students to take a look at:

Photo Courtesy of mezone

Myth 1:  “When you write a story, you should start at the beginning, then write the middle, then the end.”

Some people have been taught this in writing classes, but there’s no truth in it. The fact is, you can write a story in whatever order feels natural to you.  Some writers start with the ending, then go back and write the middle or beginning.  If you’re having trouble with the beginning, or another section, skip it and jump to a part of the story you feel ready to work on.  You can go back and write the part you’re having trouble with at any time.

Myth 2:   “You should figure out your first sentence and get it exactly right before you write any further.”

It’s true that the first sentence of a short story can be powerful, rock our socks off, and ease us into an author’s narrative in an energizing way. Or the first sentence can just be workable, but you can write the first sentence, or any other sentence, at any time.  You don’t have to have it right when you begin your story.  If  you do come up with a great first sentence, you may need to change it anyway, if it ends up not fitting with the rest of your narrative.

Try not to worry about it.  Just start writing, and figure you can go back and change, replace or rewrite any sentence later, including the first. The opening words in your short story may end up being the last ones you write; who’s to know, or care?

Myth 3:  “You should outline your story and plan every aspect of it in detail before you start writing.”

This one is a killer, and interferes with many writers.  It’s true that some people enjoy outlining, and find it useful.  Most writers do some thinking and brainstorming about where a story may be heading, early on in the writing process, but many find outlining interferes with their creativity and makes writing feel tedious and laborious. After writing an outline, they feel like the story has already been “told.”  It now becomes a job, instead of an exploration of spontaneity.  It feels like rewriting something that has already been written

The truth is, outlining is optional.  You can do it if you want, but you don’t need to do it to write a good story.  You may not even have a clue where your story is going when you begin writing.  I’ve written some stories (and screenplays) starting with only a mood or feeling, a bit of dialogue, or an image or association from a dream, with no conscious preplanning about where the story might be heading.  Then as I write, and a structure starts taking shape, I go back and rewrite the beginning to relate it to the structure that’s materializing.  On other occasions I’ll have a solid idea of where a story’s heading.  But I try not to preplan it too rigidly. It’s more fun usually to simply begin writing and trust your “inner writer” to work it out as it goes along.

Myth 4:  “A good writer gets every word right in the first draft.”

This is a particularly damaging myth, because it puts an impossible expectation on the writer.  The truth is that it’s almost unheard of  for a story to  materialize in its final form in the first draft.  Most stories go through a number of drafts as they’re being written. The important thing to be aware of is that that the first draft of a short story is an approximation.  All you’re doing is getting something down on paper.  It’s fine at this stage if the words are repetitive,  if you say things awkwardly, if your spelling is atrocious. Why worry about grammar or phrasing, when you may end up rewriting the whole thing anyway? You can rework it and tighten it up later.

It can help to view writing as having (at least) two stages: composing and refining.   When you’re composing, you’re generating raw material. This is the time to cut yourself some slack, and not worry about how the words come out. When you’re refining (editing and rewriting), you’re “mining” the raw material and polishing it, making it as beautiful, precise and elegant as you can.  If you find yourself worrying too much about how the words sound or how the story is fitting together in your early drafts,  you may be editing as you’re composing, second guessing yourself continuously, and slowing yourself down.

Myth 5:  “If your friend, or your writing teacher, or people in your writing class or group suggest changes in your story, you should change it.”

Others’ feedback can be valuable, and there are times when another person’s insight can help solve a dramatic problem, or open up possibilities.  If a hundred people all tell you that your plotting is good but your dialogue sucks, it may be good to listen to them and start working on your dialogue.

But just because someone (even an authority) has an opinion about your story, that does not necessarily make it true.   What they’re saying may be valid from their perspective, but you may have something in mind or aiming for that they’re not aware of.  In the end, each of us has to trust our own judgement about our writing.  Whether you’re a published author or a new writer, you’re the only one who can decide when, and whether, to change something you’ve written.

If you have any questions about learning how to write stories, screenplays, or even drawing story boards — feel free to contact Nils Osmar through his TeachStreet profile.

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