You have 0 items in your cart
When I tell people what I do for a living it is normally met with one of two reactions. Either they come over all dreamy and start waxing poetic about how whimsical it is that my business is in words or they question if being a writer is an actual job at all. I’m not entirely sure what it is about writing that provokes such strong reactions, or why it is some think it appropriate to voice such opinions, all I know is that I’ve been doing this for a long time now and I’ve grown used to the assumptions, but that doesn’t mean to say that they irritate me any less. So as a form of catharsis and because I am writer and yes this is what I do, I have decided to have a little rant of my own and try to dispel some of the ignorant misconceptions that plague the life of a writer.
The “oh I love writing too…”
I’m a professional writer, which means that in exchange for words I receive monetary benefits. It is not a hobby, or simply something I do to pass time, it’s my job. Of course writing is and always will be who I am, but for me it far surpasses a bit of journal keeping. So for someone to belittle what I do by telling me they too are ‘writers’ really gets my back up. You write, I’m a writer, there is big a difference. I am lucky to have made my career out of something that I truly love, but I would appreciate it if people would understand the difference between writing for fun and writing for work. Everyone I speak to has an idea for a book or would love to start a blog and while I respect that having a dream is a great thing, I can’t help but become annoyed by these people. I always feel a little insulted when someone brings up his or her writing aspirations like we have something in common. Do they think that starting a blog or a book is easy, that managing editors and client’s expectations is a seamless task? Do they understand that there is no 9 to 5 when you’re a writer and that you never switch off? I am of course privileged that I get to be in love with what I do, but all those dreamers who think they could try their hand at being a writer or a blogger…I’m willing to bet that when the deadlines are looming and the word counts are down that they wouldn’t even last a day.
The “could you not just do it for free?…”
Just like yours my work is worth paying for. But for some reason everyone seems to think that writers should just give up their time to edit or produce endless copy for free. They act as if banging out a few thousand words here and there is nothing and that we should be privileged to be a part of their project. The truth is I’m more than happy to help out people I care about and do it free of charge. Hell I was even happy to work for free in the beginning of my career; I was willing to pay my dues, but six years on and I’m afraid that the gravy train has come to an end. I’m just too busy to do things for free and why should I? It also isn’t acceptable to expect me to work for less than minimum wage. The service I provide is a skill and I should be paid accordingly. I too, like you, need to make a living and as the old saying goes time is money.
The “but you’re at home anyway…”
Yes I am at home, but I’m working right now so, no, I can’t just drop what I’m doing to talk to you or run to the shops for a pint of milk. Working from home means you need to learn to compartmentalise your life. It is true that I do have the freedom to make my own hours so to speak, but it also means that because of this very fact I need to be extremely strict with my time. It might appear from the outside that I’m just sitting in my house chilling and I will put this down to the lack of makeup, the messy bun and somewhat PJ like lounge wear I’m often found sporting. However while it might not look like it to you and your conventional ways of working, I am actually busy. When I am sat behind my laptop surrounded with giant cups of coffee, approach with caution! Just because my office is in my house and I’m sans uniform doesn’t mean that I’m not working just as hard as you are in the office.
