How does it feel to be a writer? What does it mean to be a writer?
Good questions. Being a writer is no easy task, and I say that not because it’s harder than any other line of work, but because it’s often misunderstood and underestimated. What does writing entail? Does it mean you sit down at a keyboard and type for ten hours? Does it mean you sit on a chaise lounge all day and sip iced tea while editing your manuscript? Well…sometimes. But forget the chaise lounge. Saying that you are a “writer” encompasses a lot of things. You could be a journalist, a novelist, a publicist, an editor. You could be a marketing agent. You could be a tutor. You could be a teacher. You could be a consultant. You could be anything. Writing covers a lot of territory. I know, because I’m a writer. And as a writer, I am a novelist, journalist, publicist, tutor/teacher, consultant, editor and social media manager. All of those things rolled into one. What? You thought all I had to do was start typing and out comes a bestselling novel? Please. Don’t insult me. If it were easy, everybody would do it. Something I get a lot is, “You really need to experience the whole college thing. You need to work outside the house. You need to live in a dorm. You’ll never know what it’s like to be truly independent until you do.” Are you kidding me? How does becoming dependent on an employer and stuck in a dorm with a bunch of silly, party-addicted kids count as life experience? I’d rather work ten hours a day in my custom designed office as my own boss, thank you very much. I think being self-employed and running your own business is just about as independent as you can get. Also, writing is a real job. Most people assume that it’s a hobby. A pastime. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I work a minimum of eight hours a day – usually a lot more than that, because you never really stop working when you’re a writer. You’re always jotting, editing, creating, marketing. Working. There are a million different aspects of writing. The story creation is just a small piece of it. It’s the first step. And it also depends on the type of writing you’re doing. When I’m working as a novelist, I’m creating a story world. I’m doing research. I’m editing my work as I go. When I’m working as a journalist, I’m an SEO guru and a fact-investigator. I’m a writer of how-to articles and restaurant reviews. When I’m working as a tutor, I’m teaching a child how to put his thoughts on a piece of paper and breathe life into them. When I’m working as a teacher, I’m teaching lots of children how to do the same thing. When I’m working as a publicist, I’m taking a product or a person and making them sparkle. When I’m working as a consultant, I’m helping somebody correct their work or build their own author platform. But no. Writing isn’t a real job. It’s not real because my office happens to be in my house. That doesn’t count. That’s not independent. That’s not REAL. Really? What genius came up with that idea? Please explain to me how that’s not independent. Let me know how being my own employer and employee is dependent. Let me know how being able to arrange my own schedule as I please is dependent. Let me know how creating a business and becoming a bestselling author is dependent. Let me know how living in a dorm and taking a calculus class is going to help me grow as a human being. Quit trying to put me in a box. Not everybody has to travel the same route. Not everybody has to work at Burger King to know what’s it like to work. (And I mean no disrespect to Burger King employees! I’m just trying to make a point!)Go ahead and see how easy it is to be a writer. See how easy it is to be self-disciplined enough to run your own business all by yourself. Nobody’s going to dock your pay if you show up late. Nobody’s going to fire you if you’re asleep at the switch. You’re in charge. Can you handle the responsibility? I don’t know. You tell me. So many people who start out with the intent of becoming a career writer end up quitting. It’s too hard, they say, to be self-disciplined enough to meet deadlines and force themselves to work. They need the structure of a work environment outside the house. Okay, fine. I get that. Lots of people love that kind of thing, and I think that’s great! Just don’t tell me that what I do isn’t real because I work inside my house. That’s the emptiest, most ridiculous argument I’ve ever heard. Writing is just as difficult as it is rewarding. Sometimes you don’t see those rewards for a very, very long time, but when you do, it makes it all worth it. Think of it as a delayed reaction. You build a highway, and it looks great, but it really starts paying dividends when cars start driving on it. A writing career comes in layers. You start with the foundation and you keep building upward until you have a whole house – and then you can use any of the rooms for whatever you want. Writing is challenging. It’s tough. It’s a very, very real job. Trust me. It’s an extremely diverse, always fluctuating, never ceasing, all-encompassing, constantly creative and completely rewarding career. It may not be for everybody – but it’s for me. No doubt about it. This is what I was meant to be doing. This was what I always dreamed about. Sure, it’s a heck of a lot of work, but anything worthsomething always is. What fun would achievement be, anyway, if it were given to you on a platter? Boring. That’s what. So, yes. Writing is a real job. It’s a lot of jobs. It’s an independent job. It’s essentially the American dream. I mean, making a living out of words? How cool is that? The coolest. I can’t think of a better career!
