Yes, Writing Is A Job! Pass It Along…

This post is for all you writers out there because #solidarity! Do you ever get frustrated with people not taking your career seriously? Because sometimes?? Well, it’s all I can do to keep myself from shouting…YES! Writing IS a job!

I’ve been thinking about this a lot in the last six months based on far too many interactions I’ve had with people close to me. On one occasion, I was talking with an someone and they asked, “Are you still writing?” Granted, I’m sure this person didn’t mean anything bad by the remarks, but still…it stung. Big time.

I sometimes feel like people underestimate me as a writer. Or, that I shouldn’t be writing about the things I write about. You know what? That hurts more than you know. Because when I’m sharing my story, I’m choosing to be vulnerable. I’m offering a piece of myself with my words. Each and every word I write is me. So when people dismiss my life’s work as a hobby or even say that what I write doesn’t belong on my blog? It’s like they’re dismissing me. It’s like they’re saying I’m too much. It’s like they’re saying they don’t like me. They’re not only insulting my writing…they’re insulting me. I am my writing. And the sting of their words feels like the ultimate rejection.

Maybe I’m just being super sensitive, but it feels like people tend to write off (no pun intended!) writing as an actual job. I feel like they’re saying, “Oh, isn’t that a fun little hobby you have,” you know? As if it’s something I do on the side, which, of course, is totally fine if that’s what you want to do. I’m definitely NOT trying to shame people who do write for a hobby. But, writing is my job. It’s something I put my heart and soul into every single day, so for people to be so callous and thoughtless is pretty disappointing.

I suppose that’s really the overall message of this post: PLEASE give writers their props freely and often! We writers work hard, and, sadly, all those words we write don’t just fall out of the sky and into our laps.

And also, remember this little gem: Writers write about their life and they write about the things that happen to them. They’re not going to apologize for it!

So what do you tell yourself when this happens, friends? Do people ever underestimate you, whether it’s unintentional or on purpose? I sure wish I had answers for dealing with this! Maybe I’m just cranky and need a root beer? That could be true too…

[Photos via We Heart It and Giphy]