This is stock photography. I know this not because I purchased it or because it has that kind of generic posed quality to it, but because writers do not look like this.
I think a lot of people who want to be writers have this kind of image in their head. Writing is a sedate pastime, something that requires thought and coffee and makes you smile wryly into the expensive laptop you just bought with your royalty check.
Successful writing is not remotely like this. Most successful writers have cluttered desks, a phone in their ear (not on the desk), and a sort of anguished look that bespeaks of the horrible compromises in professional writing as deadlines approach. Most writers do not dress this well or sit, well-coifed, at their desks. Instead, they pace as they’re on the phone, pound out stories on a grimy laptop, and struggle to find the right notes in a sea of paper.
Now don’t get me wrong. Writing is a great life, and you can make money at it. But it’s messy work done mostly under pressure. If that appeals to you, writing is definitely something you should do. It can be hard (I hate the euphemism “challenging”), it can be aggravating, and it can be demanding. It requires the inner peace of an astronaut combined with the logistical skills of an air traffic controller and the courage of General Patton, and it doesn’t hurt if you can simultaneously come up with a few witty sayings a la Oscar Wilde. You also need a good general education, an incredible knack for research, and a curiosity that annoys people.
Maybe this alleged image of a writer is actually a woman shopping online and trying to decide between the rose blush and baby pink shades of nail polish. If this looks like a writer to you, adjust your sites … or you’ll be disappointed!
