Writing for life

"Working it" column published in the Career Moves section of The Evening Echo on 19/11/2007

When people ask what I do, and I tell them that I’m a writer, the reaction is almost always the same. There’s that flicker of bewilderment that flashes across their face as they attempt the mental somersaults required to reconcile the word “writer” with the word “work”. Their expression invariably betrays their unspoken words: “no, I mean what do you really do”?

Most recover quickly and carry on with the conversation – a few may actually voice those words – but the underlying perception in general is that what I do for a living can’t be considered a “real” job. Writing is a curious profession of perceived extremes: people see either an image of a best-selling authors raking in millions in royalties and licensing fees, or the starving artist struggling to make a crust, wondering whether to pay that utility bill or buy this week’s groceries. The reality of course is that most writers fall somewhere in between.

I’ve always found the concept that some lines of work are somehow more valid than others a bit puzzling. Why should the fact that someone’s chosen a career as a doctor, a lawyer, a crane driver, a trucker, a farmer or whatever else, lend them any more public credibility than someone who’s chosen to follow a different path? It’s a bizarre notion – one that is, frankly, a bit long in the tooth.

I read a blog post recently on a site called Life Reboot, talking about the issue of what constitutes a “real job”. The author asked for people’s opinions, and got a mixture of answers – mostly revolving around things like set working hours, benefits, salary and so on. He went on to question the general premise that it’s the characteristics of the job that define how “real” it is, and suggested instead that the merit of a job should be measured by how it makes you feel.

It’s an argument I agree with wholeheartedly. Does your work excite you, fulfil you, challenge you, reward you, stimulate you, entertain you? Mine does – and while it’s undeniably hard work, and there are inevitably times (as with any job), when I wish I was working on something else, I love what I do. I’m much more content now than I ever was working in my “real job” in the IT industry, and while I’m nowhere near where I want to be yet, I’m certainly heading in the right direction.

So back to the question: is my job real? From my perspective the answer is a resounding yes. And that’s the thing: whether or not a job is “real” is in fact a very individual thing. The collective perception may well be that writing isn’t a “proper” job – that it’s a hobby, or an indulgence, and that getting paid for it is a bonus. But if a “proper” job means working 7am to 7pm in a vain attempt to meet somebody else’s unrealistic expectations, and then tacking a tortuous commute to either end, then frankly you can keep it!

I work hard, I get paid for what I do, and I love doing it. As for whether it’s real or not, well, it’s real to me and when it comes to the crunch I think that’s all that matters.