7 Questions Writers Hate Being Asked

[image description: a pair of brown hands typing on a red typewriter]

No one writer can speak on behalf of every single writer, but I’ve had multiple conversations with fellow writer friends and there are seven common questions that we all hate being asked. Mostly because they’re just baffling questions or because there’s no good answer.

Where do you get your ideas? / Where do you get your inspiration?

This question is so weird because the answer is from my brain. I don’t really know what folks are hoping to hear when they ask this. Maybe nature? A book of writing prompts? I have no clue. I find inspiration everywhere and what I see and experience hangs out in my subconscious until it marinates into a decent idea. I’m not sure that’s even a replicable process because we all see and experience different things, so I really never know what to tell folks.

What’s your writing process?

I wish I knew! If I had a formulaic, replicable process for everything I wrote, or even just for every genre I wrote, my life would be so much easier. My process is: get the words in my head down on the page. If there are not enough words, I write some more. If there are too many words, I cut some. If I don’t like the arrangement of the words, I rearrange them. Repeat until finished. And don’t ask me when I know I’m done because I couldn’t tell you that either.

Do you have any writing tips?

I have tons of tips, but only for specific questions because otherwise, we’ll be here all day, plus several years because people literally have PhDs in writing. Mostly I’d say read as much as possible, as widely as possible, make time for writing regularly, and stay humble because if you think you’re good, it means you’ve got a long way to go.

How do you get published?

Depends on the kind of writing you do and what your publishing goals are. Even then there are a million different ways. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure story. Sometimes even authors who have written multiple books will tell you the process was different for each.

How long does it take to become a full-time writer?

That’s entirely up to you and how much money you need to live on. It also depends on the type of writing you want to do because certain types pay more than others and short-term projects pay more frequently than long-term projects. You have to decide for yourself.

Do I have to get up early/stay up late to make time to write?

You have to do whatever you have to do to make time to write if you want to be a serious writer. But no one knows your schedule and responsibilities and work habits better than you, so I’m not going to tell you how to divvy up your day.

How do you get past writer’s block?

Make yourself write without stopping or critiquing yourself as you go. Or switch genres and write something else. Just keep writing. That’s the only way.