3 ms·

I hate this stereotype. Most of the writers I know are perfectly normal and stable people. Even me. Despite being bipolar, I'm not destroying my life for the s

• defen 6y ago
  The stereotype doesn't come completely out of nowhere though - Cormac McCarthy: "If there is an occupational hazard to writing, it's drinking."[1]. Of course, he did some of his best work after quitting drinking, so it's definitely not true that you need to be a drinker to be a great writer. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/19/magazine/cormac-mccarthy-s-venomous-fiction.html https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/19/magazine/cormac-mccarthy-...
• cableshaft 6y ago
  I write (as a hobby, but I do have a few published short stories). I rarely drink alcohol, and never for the purpose of writing easier. What does work for me is putting myself in an environment where there's nothing much else to do but write, or conducive to writing, or around others doing the same thing (like for National Novel Writing Month). Also in my local writing group of 40-ish people I'm not aware of anyone that drinks to write. Even when we have social events with alcohol I haven't noticed anyone drinking a whole lot.