It's Like a Job

by Terri Wagner

I never thought of writing as a job. It was my passion, my hope-for-future revenue, my gift to children, my more expressive side, a break from my practical, analytical side, but never a job.

Jobs were 9-5 somewhere in a 24/7 scale and required a boss, a few co-workers and equipment. Jobs were sometimes fun, sometimes boring, sometimes netted great friends and sometimes terrible enemies.

Writing was my haven from the world where I could fly through the stars, meet alternate life forms, communicate with anyone, re-enter a lost world, live in the middle ages without the hygienic inconveniences, and sometimes tell off a few people that probably needed it but I was too chicken to do it in person (fill in boss here, ha).

However, I have recently discovered in trying to actually write something publishable, writing is a job. It needs set hours (that can be variable from day to day like a retail position), bosses (insert deadlines), co-workers to bounce things off (like ANWA [I'm really glad we kept the name]), and can be a hard taskmaster when you are staring at a blank screen or a scene that just will not work right or worse yet your equipment is less than adequate.

I miss my haven, but I'm producing more. We all work at our writing, that's nothing new. Claiming it as my number one job at the moment as in rewriting resumes and cover letters to fit the position I'm applying for is eyeopening in a good way. So here's to work! God never said it would be easy eking out an existence in this world, He only promised it would be worth it.

Isn't a finished, polished, written, created piece of art worth it? You betcha!