A writer friend once told me that writing is the hardest job in the world. “Even harder than brain surgery or rocket science?” I asked. “Definitely,” he said.

Not sure I agree with that.
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post…Writing Careers – Jobs for Magazine Staff Writers and Editors =-.

Finishing a novel isn’t trivial, sure – but plenty of people have the commitment to do that (me, for example, more than once.) No guarantee of success though, even if you define success as ‘getting something published’ (as opposed to making a living wage.)

Certainly commitment is necessary. It just isn’t sufficient, in and of itself, I believe.

And, congrats on your novel…please keep me posted. I’d love to celebrate with you in November

Laurie
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post…Quips and Tips Might be a Top 10 Blog for Writers – It’s Up to You! =-.

How often writers get out of the house depends on their personality traits, lifestyle, and goals. An extroverted writer, for instance, may need to socialize a few times a week. An introverted writer may need to socialize once every couple of weeks (and if married with kids, maybe less!). A writer with active children may need to drive them to soccer practice and attend the concerts and games and picnics.

I don’t think there’s any rule for how much time writers spend working…although, I keep thinking of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours rule (becoming excellent at anything requires 10,000 hours of practice. I actually don’t think Gladwell came up with this first, but no matter). Your friend’s wise writing advice reminded me of that. You’re right, that anything done well takes a tremendous amount of effort.

And with effort comes sacrifices.

For me, the bottom line is my writing goals. Am I on track? Do I need to spend more time on those sample chapters, and skip the “girl’s night out”? Sometimes, yes…

Thanks for being here, Deborah!

Laurie
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post…Quips and Tips From J.K. Rowling =-.

A friend recently told me to stop thinking that the amount of effort and time it takes me to write something (decent) is directly related to my abilities, or lack of! A concert pianist can make a concerto look easy, she said, but there’s an awful lot of work and practice behind the performance. Anything that is done well has a tremendous amount of effort backing it up and writing is no different. This tip has been very reassuring to me–it makes sense and doesn’t have the feel of a ego-propping encouragement from somebody who just happens to like me.

I appreciated your post but wonder if sacrificing one’s social life entirely isn’t a bit extreme. My writing and my motivation suffers if my daily life is too monochromatic. On the other hand, you are clearly a hard-working and successful writer and know what you require of yourself in order to maintain your career.
.-= Deborah´s last blog post… =-.

I’m talking about being a SUCCESSFUL writer — which, to me, means earning at least 40K a year as a writer, publishing well-written books, connecting with readers, and helping other writers develop their skills.
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post…3 Tips for Joining an Online Writing Group =-.