What is it like being a writer?

On vacation this summer I was chatting with a woman by the pool. When she asked me what I do for a living I told her that I work in marketing, and I’m writing a romance novel. Immediately she asked me what it was like to be a writer. Honestly I didn’t have an answer for her. How do you describe the indescribable? I’ve been thinking about that question over the past three weeks, and I thought I owed it to myself to answer it.


What is it like to be a writer? The life of a writer is so very un-glamorous at my stage of the game. My desk is a wreck, I wear pajamas all the time, and I drink too much coffee. I’m sure some day I’ll look back and think “look at everything I’ve accomplished”, but today I’m just happy getting words on the page. 

 
I only started writing less than two years ago, and I have learned a lot in that time. Through all of the classes I’ve taken, all the groups I’ve joined, and all the drafts I’ve written I have been allowed to see the world in a different light. Writing is a very emotional and creative job. And yes there is emotion and creativity in marketing, but it’s not the same. As a writer you get the opportunity to create your own world, breathe life into any character, live any place, and pour your soul on to the pages of a book. It makes me feel alive because there is nothing to stop me from being who I dare to be.
 
 
So to the woman from the pool, wherever she may be, I’ll tell you this. Being a writer is like a totally unnerving escape from reality. It’s harder than anything I’ve ever done before and it is incredibly rewarding. It's exciting and weird and terrifying. I’m totally out of my comfort zone, but I love it.

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