Why I Will Never be the Whimsical Writer

There can be a certain perception of how artists, creatives, are. That we’re a touch spacey because we’re lost in our own thoughts with new ideas abounding. That we’re prone to being more go-with-the-flow. That we’ll wax poetic about common things because that’s how we see the world. Whimsical is the word that keeps popping into my head, to describe this perception.

For what it’s worth, I don’t find whimsy to be problematic. Playfulness and eccentricity are not bad. Everyone needs those things in their life, though whether your dose of it is greater than mine comes down to personal preference.

However, when it comes to writing, what I find is that it’s less about embodying a certain persona of what someone might think it means to be a writer and more about being a disciplined laborer. Your Pinterest mood-boards are fun, I have my own, but they’re not going to make words appear in your notebook. Spotify playlists, same thing. Reels on Instagram or aesthetic photos of your desk set-up or the cute cafe you’re at are not getting things done. All these things are side-quests, in a way, and sometimes they’re helpful because they give us an outlet when we’re not feeling motivated or we’ve hit our daily word goal and want to play around with our characters in a different way.

I’ve been having these thoughts recently because of two things.

First: I’m trying to grow my Instagram account that’s solely focused on my writing aspirations, and being on social media in this capacity (as opposed to on my personal account where it is what it is; I don’t need people to find my life interesting) has me reflecting on how performance has become more of a norm, thanks to how obsessed our society is with sharing things from one screen to another. Putting ourselves in a stranger’s view has never been easier, and there is pressure to make sure what that stranger sees is pleasing, is lovely, is politically correct, is showcasing progress, is revealing how capable you are, how successful, how much you are a writer.

I enjoy hopping on Writer-gram and seeing updates of people I don’t personally know yet root for because I want everyone to achieve their writing goals. I want people to be encouraged that they don’t strive or struggle in a void. There are a few accounts, in particular, I keep an extra eye out for because I want to see the pay-off of their efforts and support them. Writer-gram can be a very good place.

In our age of “influencers,” though, sometimes it does come across that some people are more concerned about posting reels for the views as opposed to connect with other writers. People apologize on their stories for needing to take a break from social media, like they’re announcing they’re tired and need a vacation and that’s a problem. If you don’t post either every day or enough video content, the algorithm screws you over. I have my own frustrations over how it goes because I’m excited about this blog and content I create yet don’t see a huge jump in followers or views.

But I will not be that writer who focuses on that. Who spends more time brainstorming ways to grow my account instead of thinking through world-building dilemmas in my projects. I can’t make myself pander to the Instagram gods by making funny reels miming trending dialogue. I can only spend so much time thinking about aesthetics of my photos or graphics before I have to ask myself, “Is it more about how it looks or more about what the content contains?”

Most importantly, I will not be the writer who doesn’t write.

So, back to this idea of not being the whimsical writer, as perceived by people who have certain expectations for what being a writer means or looks like.

And the second thing that made me think about this is kind of a silly thing? It’s a challenge to myself, in a way, and it’s simply this: As part of my morning routine, though I’m not leaving the house, I get dressed as though I were going into an office for a workday.

Because, as a house spouse and writer whose desk and computer are not a commute away, rolling out of bed and slipping into leggings or sweatpants and choosing very casual outfits is too easy. Yet, there’s something about my mindset when I’m wearing those clothes that suggests maybe I don’t need to be so focused. Maybe I ought to try relaxing. Or going for a walk. Or taking a nap. Or sitting down with leisurely reading. Or—

You get it. There’s a hundred examples. So, to hack my mind and do something to help with my self-discipline, I’ve told myself to dress like I’m going to work. Because it is work. It’s work I love and am privileged to get to devote so much time to. And having routines and tricks in my day to give me structure that support my getting stuff done is what I need. It’s not romantic or whimsical or go-with-the-flow. It’s opening up my closet, piecing together an outfit, and mentally clocking in.

And I’m not posting pictures of this—though, I do have some cute outfits—nor am I making a reel featuring this productivity hack. I can see how I could make content out of that and present myself in a certain way and I’m obviously talking about it here now, but this about doing things your own way. This is about being more than okay in creating the stories and the content you enjoy, even if you feel like it’s unseen or unacknowledged in the ways you’d hoped it would be. Even if it doesn’t look or sound like what you’re seeing others do.

We do not need more sameness, when it comes to creative projects. We need originality. Yes, we still need whimsy, so don’t think you can’t have that just because there’s artistic stereotypes. We just also need disciplined writers (however that looks for you), curious writers, funny writers, esoteric writers. Oddballs and goofballs and cheeseballs. Cafe-dwellers and reclusive homebodies. We need all types of writers because that’s how we get all types of stories.

I’ve gotten on this blog to say something simple, but it’s taken me this whole long spiel to get there. But what I want to tell you today is this: Be the writer you want to be, not the writer you think you have to be.