Five Myths About Writers: Busted...

Before I became a writer, I used to think that writers were some kind of special breed of human. They lived on a higher plane than the mere mortals. Basically, the human equivalent of a unicorn. Now, I'm not saying that writers aren't unicorns, but there are five things about writers that people seem to believe that simply aren't true:

1. Writers are solitary. Yes, we may spend hours upon hours locked in rooms with only our imaginary friends for company, but we are not anti-social people. All you need to do is go to a book signing with multiple authors to figure that out. Or look on social media. Or go to a writers group. Because we spend so much time alone, I think we crave community even more than the average person.

2. Writers are smarter than normal people. I consider myself to be relatively smart, but I'm not a genius. Not even close. I couldn't do long division to save my life right now. Or tell you all the elements on the periodic table. Or even tell you what a dangling modifier is. BUT, I can tell you all the name of Angelina Jolie's children without looking it up (Knox, Vivienne, Pax, Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh, in case you were wondering). Writers are curious people, and we seek knowledge. We want to know why things are the way they are. That's what makes us writers. Wanting to know the "why" of things. We're curious at best and nosy at worst.

3. Writers are socially inept. Yes, some of us are. But I think on the whole that writers nowadays have to be able to function in social situations. We have to tweet and be charming at book signings and witty on our blogs. We have to always be "on". This is exhausting, but it's all part of being a successful writer in the social media age.

4. Writers are boring. I have never been LESS bored in my life than I am when I'm hanging out with other authors. Especially romance authors. They usually have the best stories. I think this one stems from the idea that writers will drone on and on about "when I was writing my first novel..." I have encountered writers like this, but they have been few and far between.

5. Writers are self-absorbed. Okay, this one is a little true, but it's an occupational hazard. We have to put writing first sometimes, and that means neglecting spouses/children/family/friends in a way that makes it seem like we would rather be alone than be with actual people. But when you have a job, don't you go off to work every day and neglect those things? We just have a different schedule. When inspiration strikes, we have to seize it. Even if that's in the middle of a party and we have to run to the bathroom with a stack of napkins so we can jot down a few lines.

What myths about writers have you heard?

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is. You can find her at her blog, on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

She is the author of The Noctalis Chronicles (Nocturnal, Nightmare, Neither, Neverend), Whisper, My Favorite Mistake, My Sweetest Escape (January 28, 2014 from HQN), Deeper We Fall, Faster We Burn and coming soon, Sweet Surrendering (Adult Contemporary; October 17, 2013) and For Real (New Adult Contemporary Romance; November 14, 2013).