And now, for the good stuff...
Yesterday, feeling more under the weather than today, I blogged about the disadvantages of being a writer. Things like, not have paid sick days and such. And, that guilt thing about not writing even when ill.
Today, starting to feel better, I'm thinking about the good stuff. Like: not having to go out in the freezing rain in the morning; being able to slop around in totally unattractive, comfortable clothes while writing (see Mary Jane Maffini's blog last Monday); being there when the mail arrives, just in case that advance is in it; enjoying the company of cats, dogs and other small creatures while puzzling over plot points; being your own boss (sort of).
And then there are the post-publication joys: the media splurge, the adulation, the throngs of fans lined up at a signing, and the money! Oh, come on now -- don't tell me it's not true!How about the satisfaction of having written and published a book? I'm working to that point but I have lots of friends who've already been there and are still writing, so it must be good.
What do you think? Any pleasures to add to this list?
Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
Book Club Mysteries coming April, 2012 from Berkley Prime Crime
Murder By the Book
One nice thing is that when you say you're a writer people tend to look at you dubiously and say, "are you published" and when you say you are they look at you differently.
ReplyDeleteI love having written and that's a plus! The company of other writers is a wonderful bonus and just working for 'myself' at home. It's a great lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteThe delicious feeling when you reread a sentence or a paragraph the next day and you think: I nailed it! Or you read it aloud to your critique group and you see tears in their eyes! Or your friend laughs out loud. Or you see stranger on the bus reading your book. For whatever reason, as writers, those moments are worth all the struggle.
ReplyDeletei believe that everybody has a book in them; the difference is that some of us have imagined and slogged our way to actually being published - readers who are wannabe writers recognize this "difference" between us and them and are both publicly grateful to know somebody who's published and privately allowed to feed the fantasy that it might well could happen to them
ReplyDeleteGreat contributions...thanks, all! I see no one mentioned the pay.
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