Two Kinds of Writers

 

I recently had to come to terms with the fact that there are two categories of writers, and I do not fall into the category that I would prefer. There is the kind of writer that everyone who aspires to write for a living thinks they are: The “I can write anything and make it sound great even if I could care less about it and have no desire to ever touch the topic again.” We will call them the ‘Renaissance’ writers.  Their work is a huge percentage of the paid writing world and their work is exceptional. This is the type of writer I thought I was and the type I so badly wanted to be. Renaissance writers are versatile, marketable and can make a living of just writing. I thought I could be given any topic and sit down and write 250 words in 10 minutes flat and have it sound like a song. And then reality smacked me in the face and I realized I fell into the other category. We will call them, the ‘Relators’.

A Relator is someone who has all the same skills as a Renaissance writer. They can turn dog poop into flowers just like a Renaissance Writer can, with one exception; the dog poop has to be in their own backyard. If the topic does not somehow entwine itself into the everyday life of the ‘Relator’, then the end result will flop. Relators often times have huge bouts of writers block for the simple fact that they can not muster up the creativity to write about something that is not in their mind’s forefront or history for that matter. Relators can be and are very successful writers, such as Danielle Steele. She is known as the Romance Novel Queen. She once appeared on The View and admitted that most of her characters and relationships are based on some type of encounter she has had in her real life.  She is a Relator, and a very successful one.

I recently applied to write for a program that is the epitome of my work history. It has been the center of what I have professionally done for the last eight years. And I was rejected. While I was incredibly embarrassed, it could not have opened my eyes wider to the type of writer I am and what will make me successful. I have to first relate and then my creative juices flow and my passion comes alive.

Which type of writer are you?