We’re always being told that if we want to succeed as a writer then we must take our writing seriously. What the hell does that mean anyway? I feel like I’m taking it seriously. It’s super important to me. I use my spare time to write. I buy Writing-for-Dummies books and go to conferences. I daydream about my stories. So yeah, I take my writing seriously.
Don’t I?
I'm a VERY serious writer.
I read a blog post this past week, Don’t Eat the Butt by the awesome Kristen Lamb (seriously, read her blog!). This post describes lies that can poison our writing career. It speaks of writers as professionals, who treat their writing as a job. Hmmmm. This stopped me and a lightbulb went off in my head. (woah, look at the cobwebs in here!)
I take writing seriously, but… life gets in the way, right? Everyone is busy, but how busy am I really? To take my writing seriously, I need to treat it like a job, a too-much-overtime-not-enough-pay-mom-won’t-approve-of job. Still, a real job.
A teacher wouldn’t be late for his class because he had to get groceries. A doctor wouldn’t skip surgery because no one had clean underwear in her house. An airline pilot wouldn’t hold up a flight because he was having lunch with his buddies. And a police officer wouldn’t not respond to a call because they wanted to watch the latest episode of Being Human. (fantastic show BTW)
Why is the reason that these people always show up to their jobs? It’s because people are depending on them. This more than pay is why they ‘show up’ on time and do their work. They have real live people (not just the ones in their heads) needing them, depending on them. But what about writers? No one but our characters and ourselves are depending on our stories, right?
Wrong. As a child, stories were the light in my darkest times. They helped shape me and helped me understand myself and my world. I clung to them. I still do. This is why I believe that readers depend on writers. They need us to finish our stories, so they have something to escape with, something to comfort them, to excite them, make them laugh or cry. They need our stories to help them experience and understand things beyond themselves. I believe writers make a huge impact on our world.
So will I be taking my writing seriously from now on? Damn straight. My butt will be in my chair during my writing time. How about you?
Leanne Shirtliffe (Ironic Mom)
Elena Aitken
Trish Loye Elliott
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I really needed to find this in my email this morning. Why is it that “mom” duties always come before anything else. You are so right…if I want this writing thang to succeed I’d better start “showing up”.
Great article!
Thanks Jackie. I’m glad it resonated with you. I too feel like my ‘mom’ duties overtake me sometimes. Hell, sometimes the whole ‘mom persona’ overtakes me and I feel like I’ve been body-snatched. But that’s for another post.
Happy Writing!
Thank you! I guess that means I have to stop reading blogs, huh?
lol! Just not this one, k?
LOVE that. Your passion is contagious. I read another post this week that talked about looking at your writing like a real job and it stopped me in my tracks. A true “aha” moment! To be successful, I think that’s exactly what it takes!
So true. It’s hard to think of it as a job if you’re not published and not getting paid. It’s definitely a change of mind set. One I’m constantly working on.
Thanks for stopping by!
LOVE this!! And yay you for coming to this realization.
I had a similar Aha moment last year, it’s made a huge difference in how I perceive what I do. I feel like I can finally call myself a writer and OWN it!
good on ya, girl!
I’m working on OWNing it. I’m saving my money up.
Seriously, you’re an inspiration to me. Don’t know what I’d do without you and Shirtsleeves.
Love love love the analogy to other jobs.
Like the teacher one? I was thinking of you.
That was a brilliant article, loved the message and the passionate way it’s told. Thank you! I’m guilty of not giving much spare time let alone ‘job time’ but you’re right I have readers depending on me to finih my story!
So true. I think we’re all guilty of putting our writing low on our priority list. We just need reminders to keep on it. Good luck and Happy Writing.
Amen Sister!
Can I hear a Hallelujah!?
Thanks for stopping by!
Absolutely spot-on article – and I’ve saved and favorited the email notification that I got for it. Way to go!
I’m off nto tweet this link!
Thanks Julia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Happy writing!
Is 11 hours in the computer chair serious enough for ya? I need balance. I loved Kristen’s piece, and I think it is really important to set goals – daily goals – for our writing. But I actually need someone to tell me to stand down. I’ve written 20,000 words in 2 weeks. My family is ready to kill me.
Plus sometimes I really need to pee.
So.
LOL I think you need to rub off on me and I need to rub off on you. We should rub off each other…. that sounds not like I mean it. #iykwim
Seriously, that’s an amazing wordcount. I need to channel you, except for the pee part.
if [nods profusely] then [wave hand in air]
I’ve been taking it very seriously lately. To the point that I turned in 4K+ word count to #WIP500 today. WHILE I was putting in a regular eight hour day at my day job. My counter said that I put 3.56 hours in today.
If it weren’t for #mywana and #wip500 I might still be writing, but only when “I feel like it” and would be playing some stupid tower defense game at kongregate…
Now I’m looking forward to having my book one of a huge series ready for editorial by the end of Feb… (I was shooting for July!)
Authors Unite!
Holy cow! You are a writing queen! I totally believe in accountability. It so helps to have a supportive network around you. Keep up the awesome work!
Authors Unite! (My new motto… I feel like I need a sword in my hand when I say it, but a pen will do.)
Wow. I REALLY needed to read this. It feels like I’ve had to learn–and relearn–this lesson more times than I should. I call myself a writer. I get paid for (some of) my work. I have a resume. And an office. And, yet, I too often put the minutia of life ahead of my work. It’s so easy to be a flake about one of the mosst important things in my life–my writing.
Thanks for the jolt of insight.
–rebecca
Hey Rebecca, I too have had to learn and relearn this lesson. I’ll probably have to learn it again next week.
I think no matter what our job, if we work for ourselves then its very easy to put life’s minutia ahead of it. That’s why a supportive network and accountability help us so much.
Thanks for dropping by!
The only thing I’d have to say, as a semi-comedic writer (I don’t write comedy, but I do aim to make people laugh) is that you should never take yourself too seriously. Of course, that’s advice for life as well.
That is fantastic advice and one I struggle with. I take myself waaaay too seriously. Thankfully I’ve got my wordbitches to talk me off the ledge.
Sent from my iPhone
I am constantly telling myself I will be able to write better when everything is finished and I can just relax. But everything is never finished. I start my new job on Monday.
I so agree. I always say, I’ll write more when everything else falls into line. Yeah, right. That’s never going to happen. Good for you for realizing it. It’s an ongoing battle. Good luck!!!
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Yes yes yes to all this.
I’ve gotten better at taking my writing seriously; treating it like a job and not letting groceries, laundry and lunch with my buddies interrupt my “professional” responsibility.
I think for some of us (who have yet to sign a book contract), it is hard to think of writing as a job (also, most of us writing LOVE it, right? So it doesn’t seem like work).
The biggest issue I’m facing now is deciding when to “let go” of what I’ve written and move forward. I know this is completely off topic, but I’ve been editing and revising like a madwoman and at some point have to decide that the words are what they are…because we can go insane tweaking every sentence over and over. And there are limitless ways to phrase a single idea.
So. On that note.
I’d better get writing.
And thanks for the reinforcement of my JOB.
p.s. Note to self: Must check out “Being Human.”
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