If you are new to the writing world, you will encounter two types of writers. First, there are the good writers, and then there are the bad writers—who aren’t necessarily bad in their skills but for other reasons, which we are about to explore in a while.
Before we elaborate on who the bad writers are, you should know that there is always enough space to improve and get better at what you love doing the most, which is writing.
So, if you find yourself identifying as one or more of these types of writers, you must know that you can always outgrow them by learning more about the writing craft and developing some self-confidence.
Here are the types of bad writers that you don’t want to become.
The Excuse Writer
These types of writers are essentially excuse-makers, as they make more excuses than progress.
Now, making excuses can be frustrating for anyone who has to come up with them. This is specifically true when these types of writers are fully aware of the truth—that they actually do have the time and ability to sit down and write—but they hide behind excuses.
Of course, we aren’t saying that everyone hides behind false excuses, as there are genuine reasons that might prevent writers from writing, such as taking care of their families and having additional responsibilities, as it is perfectly possible for life to get in the way of writing, which is why not all writers make up excuses.
There are people who want to write, and they commit to writing on the weekends, but on Saturday morning, they don’t feel like it, and they would rather engage in something else but writing.
Self-Rejecting Writers
The self-rejecting writers are usually those who are newbie writers or who are at an intermediate level of their careers and who want to be successful somewhere down the line. Each of the writers has their own definition of success.
Some writers might feel successful when they have a novel published; others feel successful when their screenplay is turned into a movie. All writers write because they want their work out there. However, whenever these writers have the opportunity to submit their work, they freeze up and don’t move forward to the next steps.
They also miss out on opportunities to improve their manuscript. For instance, after putting in the hard work and finally being able to complete their first draft, they might leave the manuscript in the drawer or on the desk, allowing it to collect dust – only because they are taken over by fear and self-doubt.
Speaking of the first draft, if you have completed yours, you might want to know what do copy editors do so that you know why you need to go through our draft, even after editing it multiple times yourself. Instead of self-rejecting your work, you will want to walk through the storm of fear and self-doubt and come out successful on the other end.
One common problem with self-rejection is that you never know how close you have come to success before you throw away your tools and give up on your passion altogether. Also, as an aspiring writer, you should know that your first draft is definitely going to be rejected, as rejection is a crucial part of getting accepted later and landing a great book deal.
So, even if you do get rejected, you will never want to let the rejection kill your dream of becoming a writer.
The Chosen One
You will also want to watch out for the one writer who has chosen not to write. This version of bad writers is quite similar to the excuse-makers who don’t write because they lack confidence or they are too disorganized actually to sit down and write.
Instead of making an effort, being disciplined, and actually working on a story, this category of writers clings to excuses and never gets anything done. The thin line that differentiates the chosen ones from the excuse-makers is that the chosen ones don’t lack confidence; in fact, they have an outward overconfidence and can come off as very arrogant.
The chosen ones are wired this way because they have insecurities about their own writing. If you have ever been to a writer’s meetup, there is a great chance that you might have run into these people. These types of potential authors will often tell people or whoever cares to listen that they will be the next J.K. Rowling or the next Shakespeare or whoever their favorite author is.
The chosen ones will also often brag about all the books and classics they have read and about the number of books they can complete in a week. They might show you a diary where they have written their favorite quotes of all times from all of the books they have read so far.
This category of writers will constantly brag, and brag, and brag. When you actually ask them about their published books, the chosen writers tend to shut down suddenly and go all quiet. If you repeat your question, they might tell you that they are working on perfecting their manuscript so they can ensure they are the next best-selling author that the world needs.
The Slacker
Another type of bad writer is the one who is fast to start but starts slacking soon. These writers have great ideas and some writing talent; they also actually sit down to start writing and complete one page after the other.
As soon as they get twenty or more pages into their story, they suddenly hit a wall and drop dead. These types of writers don’t really bother about being disciplined and persevering. They also don’t bother to push forward to see the end of the story.
Instead, they simply wait until another good idea pops into their minds, only to restart the process. Taking that new idea, they start at the very beginning, and they start on fire and cruise right through the first twenty or thirty pages until they hit a wall again and drop dead.
There are several reasons for them to start slacking, including the feeling that this might not be the right story – or – they simply don’t feel passionate about the story anymore and don’t feel motivated to continue writing.
Slacking and procrastinating are bad habits to get into, and often, the underlying reason is linked with a lack of self-confidence, lack of skills, and lack of knowledge about several aspects of writing and storytelling, such as the plot structure, character arcs, etc.