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What Do Writers Really Want?

By on October 10, 2018
What Do Writers Really Want? - Writer's Life.org

When people think of writers, they may imagine lonely, gruff shadows of men who sit in dark corners until the wee small hours grafting away at their secret masterpieces. Or perhaps they think of them as fools and daydreamers who clutch onto impossible goals with very little hope of achieving them. Or maybe they think of seekers of fortune, of fame-hungry egomaniacs who are chasing immortality.

However, for the most part, these ideas are far-fetched and far from reality too. Writers may be inspired to write for a myriad of different reasons, but when it comes to the core of it, most of us want the same things. Not necessarily to write bestsellers, not necessarily to get rich from writing, but instead, just what any professional wants. Unfortunately, in the writing game it's often harder to get it.

So what do writer's really want?

To be appreciated.

Writers work extremely hard; whether they fit their writing in around their day job or write full time, it’s a high-pressure, high-risk job that demands concentration and energy. Writers want to be appreciated for the work they do and the effort they put into their writing. Putting one’s heart and soul into something only to be slated or ignored a pretty tough response, and rarely happens in other lines of work.

To be successful in their own right.

All writers want to be successful. Of course they do! But writing success is so personal. For one person it might be selling a thousand copies of their novel, for another, it might be selling just one. Writers should be able to define their personal success and celebrate it just as joyfully when they reach their goals - whatever they may be.

To be treated with respect.

Isn’t it time writers were treated with a little more respect? The writing game is an extremely tough one, and not only are we scoffed at when we reveal what we do, but also ignored by agents and publishers, and sometimes given unfair, downright cruel reviews. That’s not me being bitter; it’s just a fact!

To feel they have contributed.

Writers want to feel as though their work is worth something, that they have added value to the world through their writing. Without feeling as though we are contributing, it’s hard to feel satisfied or valued as a writer at all.

To learn and grow creatively.

We all want to get better and want our efforts to be rewarded. In other professions, it’s through promotions and pay rises. For writers, knowing that we have grown as artists, that we are learning and improving all the time - that’s exceptionally motivating indeed.

To love what they do.

Lastly, writers want to love what they do. Writing should ultimately be a positive experience, no matter what we are writing about, and if we don’t love what we do, even though it’s tiring, emotionally challenging and harsh at times, then we must ask ourselves whether what we really want is to write at all.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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