Why Writers Should Strive to be More Like Batman

Every writer has somebody who has inspired them to write. Often they're others authors: J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien...and all the other great writers who all seem to have initials in their names. We strive to be like them, to study their methods, draw strength from their journeys.

Which is all well and admirable. But you know who we should really be trying to be more like in our writing careers? 
Batman. 
You think I'm joking? I'm not. I'm being dead serious. Or at least as serious as I can be when blogging. Which ranges from about 42% serious to 9 and 3/4 out of 10. 
But back to Batman. Why should we be more like Batman? What parts of his personality should writers work towards? Let me tell you:  Have Batman-level self-controlPut that chocolate down and listen to what I'm saying. Have self-control. Discipline yourself and your writing. If Batman can spend his life fighting insane criminals without breaking his one rule, then you can get off of Netflix and write that story of yours. If Bruce Wayne can decide to dedicate his nights to dressing up like a bat and cleaning up Gotham, you can dedicate half an hour out of your day to doing some writing. Cosplaying as a scary animal is optional. Not wearing hockey pants is mandatory. 
Turn everything to your advantage You have an hour long commute to work? Bring a tape recorder and outline your next book. Your internet is down for the week? Take the time to go outside and gain inspiration from nature. You have a chronic disease that makes it hard to write? Use it as fuel for a story. Your kids won't leave you alone? Put them to work building a batcave. Every problem you have is something you can use. Take advantage. If something is standing in the way of your writing, you simply walk up behind it and stab it in the heart (If you didn't read that in Liam Neeson's voice, you're reading this wrong). Plan for each problem that's blocking you from writing and find a way to work around it. Your plans should have plans. In fact, you should have a plan for when there is no plan:
Have the "Because I'm Batman!" mentalitySo you're having writers block. Or you think your writing couldn't ever possibly get published because you don't have the talent or the time or the energy. You're not about to let that stop you, are you? No. Do you know why? Because you're Batman! Errr. Wait. Because you're...you. You are the only one who can write this story (except for Batman...I bet he has your novel stuffed away in his utility belt somewhere). You may not have the words now, but keep at it and you will. You may not be published now, but keep at it and you will. You may not have a Batmobile now, but keep at it and you will. Why? Because you're you. You are awesome and you are determined and you will let nothing stand in your way. That's all the logic you need. You can make it through the rest of your problems using a utility belt and sheer pigheaded self-confidence:  [image error] This is called the "Because I'm Batman!" mentality, and it has served me well. Or, more accurately, the "Because I'm [insert your name here]!" mentality. Use it. It works. 
Be the writer the world deservesI've heard from so many writer who think that they'll never get published because their writing isn't mainstream. They think they have to follow the trend or get left behind. Don't do this. Don't be that writer. Be the writer the world deserves, even if it's not the one they think they need right now. So write that book of yours without the sexy teenage love triangle. Pitch your novel that centers around deep, philosophical thoughts. Don't be afraid to be a writer with morals or a writer who puts meaning behind their words.  It doesn't matter if people don't understand what you're doing. Besides, how bad can this possibly go? It's not as if the GCPD are going to come after you. So don't let the world define what kind of a writer you are. Just be the one you know you should be. Speaking of which...
Be willing to work long and hardWriting a good story takes a long time. It can be lonely. It can be hard. It often goes without recognition. In fact, it's a lot like being a vigilante. Except it doesn't generally involve archnemeses or near-death encounters...unless we're talking about that time when your computer crashed and you ran out of caffeine. Anyway, stop complaining about your writer's block on twitter. Did you ever hear Batman complain? No. So follow his lead and get down to work.

Appreciate your butler...er...readersIf you are fortunate enough to have an awesome British butler, then appreciate to him, too. Just as Batman would be nothing without Alfred, you are nothing without your readers. Remember it. Thank them, treat them well, and keep any green-haired psychos with crowbars away from them. 
The best thing about Batman is that he never gives up. He fights an uphill battle for his entire life on several different fronts: fixing Gotham, keeping his friends alive, maintaining his sanity, sticking to his one rule. He goes through every imaginable ordeal and just keeps coming back. He survived multiple deaths of loved ones, that one comic where he became Zebra Batman... Just...don't ask.kept fighting when he had to wear an entire exoskeleton just to walk... From Kingdom Come by Mark Waidbroke his back multiple times to climb out of the Pit, and was even able to get rid of that bomb back in 1966. And that's just to name a few.

So maybe your story will get rejected by a ton of publishers. Maybe you'll get a few 1-star reviews. Maybe you really aren't any good at any of this writing stuff. But you'll never know if you don't keep trying, will you? So, when you fall, just learn to pick yourself back up again, shake your fist at the sky, scream "I'm [insert your name here]!" in a gravelly voice, and get back to work.

So what do you think? Are you willing to work hard to become a better, stronger, smarter, more Batman-y writer? That's what I'm doing. Who's with me?

Don't forget to tell me about your favorite Batman moment in the comment section below!

Related articles:
Why There's No Such Thing As "Just A Story"
5 Steps to Fighting Off Writer's Insecurity
10 Things Nobody Tells You About Being A Writer...Until It's Too Late

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