Sarah Shanahan* worked a 9-5 job until she had three children in as many years. With the cost of daycare exceeding her salary, Sarah and her husband decided it would be best if she found a way to work from home until the children were in school. Always longing to get in touch with her inner Hemingway, Sarah took the opportunity to try her hand at penning articles. Within a month, she sold her first piece. Six months later she had published over fifteen articles while the babies slept and she fought sleep deprivation. After the first year, Sarah branched into other writing areas, doing business reports and educational handbooks. By her third year of writing, she was making more money some months than her husband did. Despite Sarah’s success, her husband, parents, and friends showed no interest in her writing and constantly joked among themselves about Sarah’s “hobby”.
It is a common complaint from many writers – you get no emotional support from those around you.
Demand Respect for Your Writing
- Make sure you respect your writing first. Make writing a priority and schedule time to devote to it, whether your writing is for paying the mortgage or a way to satisfy your creative desires. Schedule writing appointments like you plan doctor visits or volunteer obligations or date night with your spouse. If you are fortunate enough to work at your writing full-time, you can easily get waylaid by lunches with friends, errands, and household chores. Stick to a schedule. Once you show respect for your writing, others may follow suit.
- Don’t give up your writing time; treat it like the sacred time it is. If you are writing Wednesday night from seven until nine and your friend calls to invite herself over for a night of playing cards and watching Survivor, say you already have plans. Don’t get defensive or feel you have to explain yourself – you don’t. For people pleasers this will be tough but you can do it!
- Keep writing where it belongs on your list of priorities. Laundry and mopping the kitchen floor can wait until you get your words out of your head and on to paper (or into the computer). Of course there are times your writing has to take a back seat. If your child falls off the swing and breaks his arm, your writing time has to wait until you are done at the hospital. If your spouse is stranded in a snowstorm and AMA tow trucks are backlogged for seven hours, you may need to go get him or her before they turn into a Popsicle. Barring a life or death emergency, keep writing at the top of your list of priorities.
- Remind doubters that everyone has to pay their dues. You may not be rolling in the dough and others may not see the benefits at this point but you are building the foundation of your writing future. Bill Gates started his career building computers in his garage and he had very few supporters. Look at him now!
- For those of you who make money with their writing, use some of the funds to show those who mock your “hobby” the financial benefits of your writing. Sarah Shanahan saved a portion of each of her writing cheques until she had enough money to take her husband away for a romantic weekend of dog sledding. Everything from the hotel room to the gas and meals were paid for with money she made from her “hobby”. Shanahan said that using such a method on her husband helped him appreciate her writing a little more.
- Take yourself seriously so others will take your writing seriously. Take writing classes to better yourself, as you would with any other “hobby”. If possible, set up a place in your home for your writing, even if it is a closet or a corner in your laundry room. Set up a bookkeeping system to keep track of your writing profits and expenses, even if your costs exceed your profits ten to one. Attend writers guild events and writing conferences. Find ways to meet and connect with other writers.
- Remind yourself often that you write for yourself, to satisfy your creative drive, to fulfill whatever part of you calls you to work with words. You don’t do it for anyone else. Unless you are John Grisham, writing isn’t the most lucrative occupation; few people become writers for the pay. We write to fulfill a part of ourselves. Writing is a tough “hobby” but be true to yourself and be your own biggest cheerleader!
Respect your writing so others will too.
* Name has been changed.
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
Join the Conversation