Propaganda I'm not falling for
and neither should you
There’s a new trend going around called propaganda. I’m not talking about Cold War posters or TikTok conspiracies. I’m talking about the well-meaning, industry-fed, fear-drenched lies that writers are told. Over and over again.
Some of it sounds helpful. A lot of it sounds official. But make no mistake: it’s creative poison wrapped in shiny packaging.
As a writer, author, and memoir mentor, I’ve seen these myths knock people off their path before they even begin. I’ve watched brilliant stories stay locked in the hearts of writers who believed they weren’t “ready,” “qualified,” or “famous enough” to write.
Today, I’m here to drag those myths into the daylight. Torch ‘em. Compost the ashes.
And remind you:
You don’t need permission to tell your story.
You just need truth, grit, and maybe a good pen.
Here’s my list of Writer Propaganda I’m Not Falling For, and why you shouldn’t either.
Propaganda I’m Not Falling For:
You don’t need a giant platform to write a book.
Memoir is real literature. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
If it doesn’t sell, it can still be sacred.
Writing every day is a myth, not a mandate.
Self-publishing isn’t a backup plan. It’s a power move.
You don’t have to write like a dead white guy to matter.
Emotion in writing isn’t weakness. It’s your weapon.
Writing is a craft you can absolutely learn.
You don’t need to go viral to be valuable.
Fame isn’t a requirement for memoir. Truth is.
Helping others write their story is worthy, paid work.
An MFA doesn’t equal mastery. Practice does.
Writing to trend kills your voice. Write from the gut.
Talking about your book before it’s done builds momentum.
You’re allowed to be more than one genre.
Let’s stop pretending the rules are sacred when they were never written for all of us.
Let’s reclaim storytelling as a radical act of remembering, resisting, and reimagining.
Let’s tell our stories anyway.
Are you done with the propaganda too?
Reply to this post and tell me the worst writing myth you’ve ever heard—or one you used to believe until you woke up and said not today, Satan.
And if you're looking for a community of real writers doing real writing without the smoke and mirrors, come join my free Facebook group: [Memoir Magic for Aspiring Writers]. We don’t do fluff. We do truth.