The Hats We Wear

When I was young and dreaming of being a writer, I thought that meant I would spend my days, well, writing. As in spinning stories one after another after another—with the rest of my time spent reading of course!

Clearly my child, and even teenaged, view of reality didn’t quite match the experience. But in case there are some of you out there who imagine that writers have idyllic careers in which they simply write all day, let me share with you some of the other hats we wear. (And this is by no means an exhaustive list!)

Researcher—whether historical or contemporary, all novels require some type of research. Knowing where and how to get information is a skill we must learn. And then organizing what we’ve learned is essential to being able to use it!
Psychologist—we wrestle with our characters’ inner lives just as a psychologist or counselor does with their clients.
Editor—even if we have other editors in our lives, we are are own first editor. Like every good editor, we must know how to spot story weakness or lazy writing—and figure out how to fix it.
Publicist—we become students of marketing and social media in order to promote the books we—and others—write.

Speaker—often writers are asked to talk about their books. Many of us are not natural public speakers, so this skill must be practiced!
Teacher—as I write this, I am currently preparing to teach 2 workshops at the upcoming Permian Basin Writers Workshop. This includes outlining my talk, pulling examples from published books, and creating a powerpoint for the class to take notes. As for the actual presentation, see the above point on speaking! 🙂
Student—most of us desire to continue to grow in our craft. Therefore, we never leave off our student hat for long. Whether it’s reading a book on writing or attending a conference or taking a class, we find ways to continue learning.
Mentor—simply by the nature of our profession, we attract those who want encouragement for their own writing journey. Whether mentoring happens in a formal or casual relationship, this requires time—even when it’s “only” answering an email.
Grammarian—of course writers need to know the rules of grammar, but the longer you write, the most you come across those obscure “rules” you aren’t sure how to handle. And so a writer ends up often knowing the answer to some of the more difficult grammar questions.

Tech Expert—we must know how to “fix” the little things that pop up with our technology, for no one has hours to spend with tech support! And it’s not just our computers for writing. It’s also having a bit of knowledge of how to deal with the tech onsite for a speech or a class. It’s learning how to manipulate photos for publicity and marketing (and blog posts!), how to put together a powerpoint presentation, how to do the basics on our websites. The list never ends!
Publisher—in today’s world, many of us have published (or re-published) something on our own. We must learn (or choose the experts to hire!) formatting and cover design and even accounting. (I confess, this might be my least favorite hat to wear!)

Reader—a good writer is a reader. Our love for words and stories extends far beyond those we craft. Writers enjoy seeing what others have done and are doing. Good books motivate us to keep learning, keep editing. To strive for excellence beyond what we have currently achieved.

Yes, younger me had no idea what all being a writer really meant. But even now that I do, I wouldn’t change a thing. Each hat I wear requires me to stretch and grow and depend more and more on Jesus to do the things He has called me to do.

Is there an “hat” in your current life situation that you never expected to wear? Share it with us!