Writing: Expectations vs. Reality

December 17, 2017

Writing: Expectations vs. Reality

Expectation: Showing off your stellar vocabulary. Reality: Spending ten minutes trying to remember how to spell “potpourri” because you’re too proud to look it up.
Expectation: Writing elegant rhymes to express your emotion. Reality: Sounding like an angsty Dr. Seuss.
Expectation: Writing free verse poetry that seems authentic and avant garde. Reality: Sounding like an angsty and, now, drugged Dr. Seuss.
Expectation: Scribbling thoughts on random scraps of paper because inspiration strikes at unexpected moments. Reality: Looking like a conspiracy theorist at best or a serial killer at worst as you frantically try to assemble your notes.
Expectation: Making keen, discrete observations of your surroundings for later use. Reality: Looking like a creep when you make eye contact with a potential character and being mistaken for a critic as you analyze your favorite cafe.
Expectation: Having movies and theme parks made after your bestselling novels. Reality: Writing silly blog posts late at night. (Unless you are J.K. Rowling, in which case the reality is still “having movies and theme parks made after your bestselling novels.”)
Expectation: Carefully crafting characters that perfectly follow the planned plot. Reality: Controlling your characters is like herding winged cats. Not only are they cats, but now they can fly.
Expectation: Planning a time to write and doing so in an orderly fashion. Reality: “THE VOICES IN MY HEAD SAID I MUST WRITE NOW!” (usually “now” is in the middle of another project, late at night, or somewhere without any form of writing material whatsoever)
Expectation: People reading your silly blog posts all the way through and gaining an internet following. Reality: Your fan club continuing to consist mainly of your grandma, your best friend, and the fake cat lady blog your mom made to spam you.
Expectation: Having many writing woes to blog about. Reality: Only being able to come up with nine and realizing that is also a problem you can add to the list.

I had fun jotting this down and think this might turn into another #WriterProblem series! Do you have any writing expectations vs. realities? Share them in the comments!

humor, literary living

expectations vs reality, funny, humor, laugh, writer, writer goals, writer problem, writer problems, writer struggle, writer’s block, writers despair, writing expectations, writing problems, writing process, writing reality

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Ryanne_JM

Hello and welcome! I don’t love that I my name is also my website because I always thought that being a writer was about muttering to myself in the artistic anonymity of a dark corner, but here we are in this year of our Lord 2023. So who am I? Instagram wanted me to select “what” I am and gave me a set of limited options: artist, writer, blogger, or musician. The reality, though, is that I am a human person, not an internet personality. I am not a “what” but a “who,” with an eclectic and evolving set of passions. Just when you think you know what to expect from me, I’ll probably surprise you. (Getting used to articles on worship music? SURPRISE: spooky short story! Expecting another theological sonnet? SURPRISE: a random musing on my fascination with Bigfoot.) I’m going to organize my website so that it is easy to navigate and simple to find the content that you find the most interesting. However, because I am a collaborative pianist, worship director, pastor’s wife, speaker, and writer of all genres, there’s a good chance you’ll stumble upon writing that falls beyond your usual reading material…and that’s okay. I’m so glad you’re here, and I look forward to sharing my work with you!