Writing During Economic Suckage

The economy has been a huge source of agita lately, not only has the publishing industry taken a huge hit, but for many of us, the little bit of wiggle room we had in our personal budgets has evaporated. Those of us lucky enough to still be working, are doing it longer and probably for less and too many of us are out there hunting for anything that will keep the cat in kibble.

So, with so many of us in deep survival mode, where does this leave your writing career? Does this bleak financial state mean you should pack it up until the economic storm clouds disappear and the sun shines brightly again on publisher’s row?  I believe a lot of writers will be sorely tempted to do just that. Why bother to write if you’re not going to be published? The answer lies in the realization that your writing and your writing career are NOT one and the same thing. In fact, I believe that some of the most skilled and talented writers among us have gotten completely derailed and subsequently crashed and burned simply because they lost focus on the writing while they got caught up in the career.

My advice to you is, for the time being, to forget about getting published. Forget that getting published is even an OPTION. Instead, take your limited time and energy and focus on being a writer. Write and write and write, use this time to improve your skills, to hone your craft, to read and study and most of all…ENJOY what you’re doing. Take joy in it, or perhaps find the joy in writing that you lost in pursuit of your writing career. Experiment with it, take it in new directions, try new forms and styles. Write lots and lots and lots of crap…don’t worry, you’re not going public with it anyway. Make writing the most fun thing you do every day instead of just another thing on your endless to do list.

Don’t think you have time? Write instead of watching the news. That will give you an extra thirty minutes (or more if you’re a news junkie) and you’ll be surprised how much less stressed you’ll feel without the constant bombardment of death, disaster and doom. Write as a lifeline and a heart line instead of as a byline. The money, the career, the fame may or may not come, but no Wall Street shenanigans can ever take away the FEELINGS you bank when you are writing for pure enjoyment and love of the craft. Find that, or find it again and you will truly be wealthy and successful beyond words.