WRITING

No, Writing Isn’t Just a Fun Hobby

Unless you want it to be

This is where I work. My office is a converted sleeping porch. I have a great view of our treehouse! (Photo by Michelle Teheux)

Writing for a hobby sounds like fun, but I wouldn’t know.

It’s not a hobby for me. It’s what I do professionally, and I take it seriously.

Every job in my adult life — journalist, copywriter, SEO specialist, novelist, blogger — has involved writing. I’d have more money if I were good at math, but I am not. My only real talent is writing, so that’s what I do.

Nevertheless, several people have recently referred to me as “retired.” Apparently, they don’t think what I do all day (and often late into the evening) is real work.

I mentioned this to my next-door neighbor, who if she wants to can peer from her second-story window right into my home office. She laughed.

“I see how much time you spend in there.”

Writing is a real job for me

I am not doing this for fun (even though it often is quite a bit of fun). This is how I make a living.

Nobody suggests real estate agents or insurance salespeople or teachers or nurses are just dabbling in their professions for fun. Writers, though, are different.