It Isn't Easy

Writing isn't easy.

Which, I'm sure, is not a shocking statement to anyone reading this. You have all sat at a computer at some point in your life, forcing words out of your poor fingers like you're trying to remove a dozen splinters. If you've spent a significant portion of time around me, you've heard me bitch about how writing is hard. 

The strange thing is that some of you (or maybe none of you and just people who don't read this) have scoffed at my choice of major because 'English is easy' and then you turn right around and give me horrified looks when I tell you I have to write an 8 page paper and read an entire Shakespeare play. Seriously, the cognitive dissonance between "Oh, people write for fun so it must be easy" and "Oh my God you have to write 5,000 words that's awful and I am going to pick a career where I never have to do that" is astonishing to me.

I think I should acknowledge that there are two different kinds of writing implied in the above exchange. One is writing essays or reports for a purpose with a deadline. No one likes doing that. Well, I did really enjoy my final essay for Shakespeare. I wrote about the power of gender, masculine vs. feminine in Macbeth and it was a lot of fun. But usually, no, I don't particularly enjoy writing about theme and character development in old-ass shit no one except English majors read. I still enjoy it way more than doing math or chemistry-kudos to all you people who do any of those things. 

The other kind of writing is the "fun" kind. I say "fun" because it's a choice and yes, sometimes it is fun. A lot of fun. That's the time when people are right to think it's just fun. 

The big secret that no one tells you, even when you're an aspiring or beginning writer, is that the "fun" part of writing is only like 10% of the time. 13% if you're very lucky. The rest is just work. And if you aren't a writer and you doubt that for one second, imagine writing 2,000 words in one sitting. Imagine writing 7,000 words in a single day. Imagine writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Could you do it?

Not to be an ass, but the answer for the majority of you is no. Do I write 2,000 in one sitting every day? Of course not. Some days I only write 500 words and every single one is a struggle. Those are the days that aren't easy. Yes, it's a choice to keep writing and no, I'm not complaining. I love writing and I love stories. But I want it to be clear that even though I have been doing this for over half my life now, it is not easy for me. I've had a lot of practice and I am stubborn and persistent, so I don't give up. But it isn't always easy.

The most glamorous part of writing is the finished product. The story I give you to read, all nice and revised, or the nice new book you buy at Barnes & Noble or off Amazon. And unlike most other things, I can't take a picture that will show you exactly how hard it can be. 

So I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.