Three Myths You Might Believe About Writing

Three of the most pervasive myths about writing could be holding you back from creating the kind of content you need for your online enterprises. These myths are not only widespread, they're nearly convictions.

Myth Number One
Some people are natural-born writers. This has a corollary that holds that writing is a talent that some people are born with and others lack. Now it is true that some people have more of a knack for writing than others and it is also true that some people naturally like to write. But natural-born talent? Writing is a learned skill and even those "born writers" you may envy actually work at it. That brings us to Myth Number Two.

Myth Number Two
Writing is hard, grueling, terrible work. Writing is work, but it is not work the same way that cleaning out a sewer is work. Writing requires some discipline and some skills and it takes time away from your other pursuits (like watching TV) but it is not some odious task that will cripple your body and numb your mind. When done well and fluently, writing is actually kind of relaxing.

Myth Number Three
Writing is all about inventing new things. The corollary to this myth is that writing is a creative endeavor and creative people are constantly making things up out of thin air. Good writing is actually formula writing. Formulas are structures or skeletons. They're not things you copy, they are more like architectural plans. There are templates or skeletons for everything from business plans to sales letters and good writing respects these forms. Most of the time, a good writer is pulling out an established template and then reworking it to meet his or her needs.

Now this is not to say that writing is effortless. But when you understand that you're working with existing structures, filling in the blanks, and that it takes a bit of effort, polish, and thought to get there ... it really is not that hard.