The Easiest and Hardest Part of a Writer’s Life

by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Many writers love the title of writer, but they hate the writing process. That’s because the writer’s life is an art form, a means of creating beauty and meaning from words. We can entertain, instruct, inspire, laugh, cry, and encourage others through an incredible gift. It’s also solitary and challenging. Rewrites can be grueling, rejections damage our confidence, and sometimes sales fail to meet our expectations. 

So how can a writer balance the fun and not-so-fun aspects? Easy and hard tasks? Tasks that when woven together fulfill and excite the writer?

Whether you are claiming to be a writer, acting like a writer, or working like a writer, there are easy and not-so-easy features of a writer’s life. Take a look at the following three items and choose for yourself if they are worth the climb to the writer’s summit of satisfaction.

Claiming to be a writer

Easy!

• Admit it. We love the looks of admiration and sound of “awe” when others learn we’re writers. Seeing our name on a book or article is a great ego builder.
• Our book hits the bestsellers list.
• Our book is nominated for a prestigious award. 

Not-so-easy

• Reading poor reviews.
• Planting our rear in the chair and creating.
• Sometimes our sales dwindle.

Acting Like a writer

Easy!

• Requests to guest blog.
• Invitations to sign books, teach writing, and speak.
• Recognition in the publishing world.
• Posting and responding to social media.
• Travel to different and exciting areas.
• Talking about our fabulous career.

Not-so-easy

• Time and research needed to guest blog.
• Preparation to teach writing at a conference or event.
• Time and research required to write a speech.
• Time, research, and preparation crafting social media posts.

Working Like a writer

Easy!

• The solitude of not adhering to a time clock or a boss.
• Reading favorite books to understand the competition.
• Work when our internal clock is the most creative.
• Travel for research.
• Naps when needed.

Not-so-easy

• It’s a myth. The editor and the demands of the reader are a writer’s bosses.
• Deadlines are essential to the publishing world. Miss them and say goodbye to future contracts.
• Finding time to read and study.
• Stepping out of our comfort zone to research.
• Hours and hours of work. We never calculate the amount of time spent on a writing project with the money earned. If so, we might quit. 

The easiest and hardest part of a writer’s life are necessary and when woven together provide hours of reader satisfaction—and the writer enjoys it too.

What are the easy and not-so-easy characteristics of your writer’s life?

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DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Firewall, the first book in her Houston: FBI series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian Fiction books of 2014.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Suspense Sister, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson. She teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on Facebook: www.facebook.com/diannmills, Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannmills or any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.