Non-Writers Don’t Recognize the Work Involved in Writing
Translation: They have zero regard for our time
My frustration levels have been rising lately. Perhaps it’s due to being called back to work outside the home recently, or perhaps I’m just an irrational, anxiety-ridden person.
Either way, the time I have available to dedicate to writing has been cut in half and as a result, I feel like my time should more valuable now than it has been during the last 3 months of isolation.
But in the eyes of my non-writing circle of friends and family, my time is not valuable at all.
Raise your hand if you can write a high-quality article in less than a day while fielding constant text messages. Nobody? I thought so. Me neither.
Raise your hand if you can stop writing at someone else’s whim to get together for coffee, and then pick back up where you left off. Nobody again? I’m seeing a trend already.
That’s because most of us writers know how much work goes into a single piece of writing. We’re aware that we can spend a whole hour just coming up with a headline, never mind the entire body of an article.
Those who do not write have no clue how much time it takes to piece together thoughts and turn them into sentences that’ll make sense and might possibly resonate with a large audience.
An infringing text interruption with no purpose that drags on for more than one exchange, is a story-crusher. It interrupts the flow of ideas to a point where we may never get them back.
An afternoon spent lollygagging with a friend or family member destroys an entire day of writing productivity.
Why? Because as writers we go through ebbs and flows and lord knows, when a flow happens we need to seize it and forsake all other offers. We need to jump on that flow like a surfboard and ride the wave until it breaks.
Non-writers seem to have the perception that we can just sit down for an hour and plunk out a prolific piece of work. But the reality is we need significant chunks of uninterrupted time to write a mere thousand words worthy of reading.
I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been stumped for something to write about and a non-writing person will say, “Why don’t you just write about that time when….”
The problem with ‘that time when…’ is it’s just an idea. It takes actual effort to develop into more than a random event. It may even require research before it deserves to be consumed by an audience.
Of course, that one experience makes sense in our minds but in order for an idea to make sense to everyone else, it needs to be dissected, embellished, edited, and transformed into words that a broader audience will enjoy.
Another aspect of writing that’s difficult to convey to the average person is that no, we don’t go to a physical office but that doesn’t mean we’re just open for business anytime, anywhere, for any purpose.
We have no actual door to hang up our do not disturb signs but it doesn’t mean we’re just open to ongoing disturbances.
If I were to work outside my home from 9–5 my people would know and they’d leave me alone because I have a job to do. Why should it be any different if I sit in my house from 9–5 and write?
There’s a difference between pleasure bloggers and those of us writing for income. I used to be a pleasure blogger so I had no expectations for earnings. Any money I received was a bonus.
Now that I’m accustomed to earning a decent monthly paycheck by writing I have plenty of expectations. I expect to no longer be seen as a hobbyist in the eyes of those who don’t understand the job of writing.
Yes, it’s an actual job, and it’s one I happen to enjoy immensely. It’s also a job I appreciate. I’m grateful that I can sit down and summon ideas out of thin air and actually get paid for intellectual sorcery.
But in the eyes of the non-writer it must seem like such an abstract concept, surely it can’t be a real job.
Shortly after I launched my most recent endeavor, a blog, and website about the ins and outs of travel and hospitality writing, I took the time to make a list of possible topics I could cover.
The one topic I’m dying to write about is how long it takes to put together an accommodation review. Unless you’re a haphazard writer who doesn’t care about presentation, it can take a whole week of concentrated time and effort.
I think that’s the one aspect of my travel writing that not many people understood. We don’t just take photos and tell a story. We edit the crap out of our photos, organize them based on a storyline, highlight several aspects of the experience, and then heavily expand on each one.
Back in the days when I traveled more often than I didn’t, I lived in my mother’s basement suite. She used to mock me for how much time I’d spend “hiding out in a bunker” toiling over my blog.
She didn’t have the slightest understanding about how much I loved and cared for my craft.
Non-writers will never understand the job of writing but we need to encourage them to respect our boundaries. We need to make sure they understand that just because it feels abstract to them, it’s a real thing for us.
A writer not writing for a whole day is like calling in sick to an office job. We don’t do it unless we’re actually sick (or just sick and tired).
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