They will tell you that you’re not a real writer. They say that having another job you do for money makes you soft. Don’t you believe in yourself enough to suffer, to struggle, they ask? They pretend it’s a question, but to them, it’s not a question; they only accept one answer. If you care enough, you’ll dedicate yourself to The Art, they say, and anything less than that stark, all-in commitment marks you as a creative failure. If you get hungry enough–literally hungry, they say–then The Art you make will be superior and success will flow to you like water and all manner of things shall be well.
When they say this, they are wrong.
There are writers who rely solely on their writing, fiction or nonfiction, for income. There are writers with full-time jobs that have nothing to do with writing, and these writers fit in their creative pursuits early in the morning, late at night, on vacation days, whenever. There are stay-at-home parents whose primary work, unpaid though it may be, can be all-consuming, and they, too, write in the stolen moments, during naps, or after bedtime, or when one kid can be convinced to read a book to the other one, or on the bleachers at a soccer game. (Hockey game. Lacrosse game. Swim meet. Ballet lesson. You get the idea.)
They are all writers. If you write, you are a writer. That’s pretty much how the definition works.
And you are a working writer.
The type of work you do, writing-related or otherwise, does not make you more or less legitimate. Starving does not make you better. Or maybe it does–maybe you have thrown caution to the wind and dedicated yourself to full-time writing without a back-up plan and maybe the writing you’re producing now is pure gold, sheer magic, the best you’ve ever written–but if that isn’t the situation you find yourself in, don’t you dare think of yourself as less than. Don’t let anyone tell you that’s the only way to do things.
There are an infinite number of ways to do things. (And because you’re a writer, you can probably imagine somewhere between 15 and 83 of them off the top of your head. Good job, writer!)
Look, the internet is both the cause of and solution to all life’s problems, but don’t believe anyone on the internet who tells you what it takes to be a real writer. Yes, I acknowledge this is a ridiculous thing to say in an essay on the internet about what it means to be a particular type of writer. But note that I would never use the word “real” in this context. We’re writers, after all, aren’t we? Every word counts.
Do the work you need to do to live the life you want to live. Me, I work full-time; I’m taking a vacation day tomorrow because I have a book coming out that day, and then the day after that, it’s back to the office. Having the income from a full-time job frees me from the need to produce creative work on a defined schedule; there’s food on the table regardless of whether I write a book a year, a book every two years, five years, ten years, more. I have friends who are lucky enough to write full-time and that has its own benefits and drawbacks. Whatever work you do, whenever and however you write, that’s your decision. Don’t let some chucklehead on the internet make it for you.
Now, whatever it means for you: back to work.
About Greer Macallister
Greer Macallister's debut novel THE MAGICIAN'S LIE was an Indie Next pick, Target Book Club selection, and a USA Today bestseller, and has been optioned for film by Jessica Chastain's Freckle Films. Her novel GIRL IN DISGUISE, about pioneering private investigator Kate Warne, received a starred review from PW, which called it "a well-told, superb story." Now out in e-book and hardcover, her new novel WOMAN 99 is forthcoming in paperback in February 2020.
So much yes. I have three other jobs (lawyer, bookshop owner, and book fest director) in addition to writing books. Sometimes I am frustrated by the lack of time available to me, but I also recognize that these other things give me perspective and (as you say) the freedom to write unshackled from a certain kind of pressure. Also: I wrote full-time for a couple years back in the early 2000s – and it was the most miserable I’ve ever been. So there’s that.
I thought maybe when you started the bookshop you weren’t doing the lawyering anymore! That is a lot of jobs, Alex. But glad you’ve found a balance that works for you and we get to keep reading your books.
Thank you! You are so right.
“Whatever work you do, whenever and however you write, that’s your decision.” Yes, Greer, yes.
“They” have far too much power until we remind ourselves that “they” are only imaginary—and then we are free to write in the way that works for us.
That’s right! That mythical “they” can loom so large if we let them.
I appreciate this. I work a job where I’m on call…it might be a month or longer or every two weeks. When I come back home, it is very hard to get back into a groove. This helps me to realize that I’m a writer regardless if I don’t publish a book every eight weeks or my scribblings are only in my notebooks. Thank you and have a wonderful day!
As the hepcats say, “Preach!”
Everybody’s situation is different. Doesn’t prevent ANY of them from being writers.
Amen!
What I needed to hear most in your post is “If you write, you are a writer. That’s pretty much how the definition works.” Last night I finished editing a chapter after putting in an application for a new day job, after spending the day cooking and cleaning and making sure the kids got their homework done and practiced their respective instruments. When I finished the chapter and put it up on Wattpad, I thought “Am I really a writer? I don’t really feel like one.” No dedicated schedule, majority of my time spent on other things and publishing to Wattpad creates some self-doubt I guess. Those few sentences just fed something in my writerly soul today, so thank you!
I love it when the right reader finds the right piece at the right time! You’re making words. It’s a gift. Keep ’em coming.
Me too, what she said.
Well said! Thank you for singing that song of truth. Happy writing to you, in those stolen moments, and congratulations on the upcoming release!
Amen. And congrats on the new release. Looks like a winner.
Thank you for this. I work as a therapist full-time and writing is my release and my relaxation. I enjoy both things very much and hope one day to be published.
I know a couple of ladies who’d love to read this right now. Sharing this lovely essay, Greer. And congratulations on your new book!!!
A real writer… is one who writes.
Although, looking back at my development as a writer, I don’t think I would now call my earlier self a “real writer” at the stage when I only wrote on those rare occasions when I felt in a writery mood. A real dilettante, perhaps, but not a real writer. :-)
This post is nothing short of beautiful, Greer. Thank you.
Dee Willson
Award-winning author of A Keeper’s Truth
“Whatever work you do, whenever and however you write, that’s your decision. Don’t let some chucklehead on the internet make it for you.”
PRICELESS!!! HAHA!
I’m fortunate to finally be able to focus solely on my writing. I’m not yet published, but writing is my only work. (All housework and family care aside.) When people ask the inevitable “What do you do?” My answer is “I am a writer.” When I’m published, maybe I’ll say “I am an author.”
Yes… well… it is a good thing I have a day job where I can write (mind you, grant proposals and reports to donors aren’t very sexy), but still… Plus, I do have my ‘hobby’ of writing book reviews (which doesn’t earn me much of anything). But when I retire (in about 5-6 years), maybe I’ll write that novel that I have been writing so many snippets of in my head for so many years.
What a terrific piece, an argument I have had with a few people over the years, that if you’re not prepared to expire through malnutrition or have all your utilities cut off, not to mention court orders for your unpaid council tax, then your not a “real” writer.