There is this gaslighting stereotype about authors. We all suffer from the dreaded block and imposter phenomenon (its real name), we all procrastinate, yet somehow seem to write every day, we’re all alcoholics and drug users, yet we all sit on our arse every day and write while wallowing in our self-pitying bullshit, we all do this, we all do that, we all suffer because we’re tortured souls, wallow, wallow, wallow…and it’s all so fucking hard…wail, wail, woe is me, wallow, wail…

We just fucking don’t.

For many years, I wondered why so many in Facebook groups suffered with this bullshit. None of it’s an actual medical illness, none of it will do any harm to you, but so many newbie wannabe amateurs seem to believe we have to suffer from everything they’ve read about because our forebear authors did. Every author who came before us who imposed their own beliefs down through the generations must be right because they came before us and all suffered from this bullshit. Right?

Yet, these authors and writers either died young (thanks tuberculosis two hundred years ago) or they killed themselves (thanks depression/drugs/alcohol a hundred years ago). 200 years ago, authors died young thanks to nature and disease. 100 years ago, they killed themselves instead. I wonder if a psychologist has done a paper on that. To me, it’s a very weird 180 across a hundred years, and incredibly interesting. But I digress.

Anyway, we don’t. We just don’t.

I’ve often felt as if I’m outside of the human race. I’m floating out there in space, looking down on humans, wondering where the fuck it all went wrong. I don’t suffer from the block, or the phenom, and I have briefly wondered why I don’t. The cold hard fact is, I don’t as an adult, so I don’t as a writer and author.

I’ve even had people accuse me of lying, and get into arguments with me in FB groups over how ALL writers suffer from imposter phenom. I said we don’t, and if you perpetuate the lie that makes you a liar and you need to stop lying about other writers. The attitude I copped from one bitch, yikes.

The cold hard fact is we don’t. We just don’t.

As a human being I don’t suffer from any of it.

As an author I don’t suffer from any of it.

Why do I have to?

Why do you have to?

Why do you believe all authors have to, and you do too?

Because there’s this dumbass thing, a stupid gaslighting myth that surrounds all authors and writers in a gaseous haze. That we ALL have to suffer from this bullshit.

You do realise what ALL means? Right?

EVERY. SINGLE. WRITER. ON. THE. FUCKING. PLANET.

Unless you’ve met every single author and writer on this planet to know what we suffer from, shut your mouth and stop lying about us. I don’t appreciate being lied about by an uneducated, ignorant, lying idiot.

Because. We. Just. Don’t!

I don’t know how much simpler I can say it.

Not all humans suffer from imposter phenomenon or writer’s block; not all authors suffer from them. It’s utter fucking rollicking, bollocking bullshit.

When I was in my writers’ group, there would be people come through whining about the block, or phenom, and I’d say I don’t suffer from it and I’d get what I call the blow-up doll expression in return. Wide round eyes and open mouth. I’d see their brain ticking over as they tried to figure me out and understand why an author didn’t suffer from either.

Because. We. Just. Don’t!

It’s because of the gaslighting myth that surrounds all writers and authors.

And don’t try and figure me out, because your brain is too weak and ignorant to comprehend this level of writer.

Just. Don’t.

Because I don’t participate in myths and you shouldn’t either.

I also don’t procrastinate, I’m not a tortured soul, I don’t drink or do drugs, and I don’t write every day unless it’s across the writing spectrum. When I start writing a book it’s five days a week and I try and write 10 pages at least, but 15 or 20 is better, and then when I’ve finished for the day, blogs and essays to keep up with social posts, and sometimes poems and songs, if I feel like it.

I’m also very aware life brings challenges and can stop me from doing it. Like the full torso muscle spasm I had last month. I couldn’t sit/stand/lie without being in pain, let alone take the time to write, so it got left for two days and then I wrote what I could before pain stopped me.

Because that’s life, as writers, and creators in general, we learn to go with the flow and reorganise schedules when we need to.