Eccentricity

This might come as a shock, but as a writer, I tend to know lots of...writers.  Just like the population at large, we're a diverse assortment of every personality type out there.  So why then do so many of us feel like we have to fit a certain mold?

There are a lot of eccentric writers.  Some have goofy habits, some live in goofy places, and some wear goofy clothes.  Unfortunately, many of us feel we have to be eccentric if we want to be a "real" writer.  I've seen more than one person decide to wear pajamas to meetings, dye his or her hair purple, or wear sweaters backwards.  And if that's your thing - truly your thing - then go for it.  My problem is that most of those I interact with do such things out of a sense of obligation.  Many think they have to put on a pretense or people won't accept them as real, which, I guess, is some kind of precursor to being good.

(I just gotta be me)

The problem, of course, is that it's all phony.  Further, it's unnecessary.  It's hard enough in this world to be who you are.  Trust me, wearing funny hats or wearing sandals and socks isn't going to suddenly give you talent.  In fact, trying to be who you're not will take energy away from your writing and make it even worse.

 

Many of us have egos of crystal, so we put up these fake fronts to protect ourselves.  "If I'm haughty and look funny, no one will criticize my work because they'll be afraid I'll snap.  Better yet, they'll trust me more on what I write!"  What a crock.

 

It's okay to be eccentric, but if you're just as eccentric as everyone else, aren't you really just a conformist?