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Q&A How can one "treat writing as a job" even though it doesn't pay?

To me, treat it like a job means two things, principally: First, set a regular work schedule and/or production target. Write from 9am to noon, or from 8pm to 11. Or else set yourself a word count ...

posted 5y ago by Mark Baker‭ · edited 5y ago by Mark Baker‭

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#2: Post edited by

Mark Baker‭ · 2020-01-18T13:54:44Z (almost 5 years ago)
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To me, treat it like a job means two things, principally:
First, set a regular work schedule and/or production target. Write from 9am to noon, or from 8pm to 11. Or else set yourself a word count target for the day. 1000 words, 1200 words, 2000 words: what ever is a reasonable goal for a work day.
Do this and you will inevitably get more done. A professional working writer does not hang around waiting for the muse. The professional working writer makes the muse get her butt out of bed and go to work every morning. Writing is a craft and, like any craft, it improves with practice. And, like any craft, it can be performed on demand. And, if you are serious about it, you will have to perform on demand regularly or you will never get anything done.
Second, write for an audience. Work produced stuff of value to other people. Hobbies produce something of value only to yourself. This does not mean that you have to slavishly write for the lowest common denominator of the market. Not every chef has to works for McDonalds.
But, to continue the analogy, when make a meal for my wife, I put a lot of time and effort into making something good. When I cook for myself, I generally heat soup. You will do better work when you are working to create something for someone else to enjoy.
If you treat writing like a job, you will do more work, and it will be better work. And if you produce more work and better work, you might even end up making money from it. And if not, unpaid work is still work, as long as you are keeping a schedule, hitting a target, and working to create value for someone other than yourself.

To me, treat it like a job means two things, principally:
First, set a regular work schedule and/or production target. Write from 9am to noon, or from 8pm to 11. Or else set yourself a word count target for the day. 1000 words, 1200 words, 2000 words: what ever is a reasonable goal for a work day.
Do this and you will inevitably get more done. A professional working writer does not hang around waiting for the muse. The professional working writer makes the muse get her butt out of bed and go to work every morning. Writing is a craft and, like any craft, it improves with practice. And, like any craft, it can be performed on demand. And, if you are serious about it, you will have to perform on demand regularly or you will never get anything done.
Second, write for an audience. Work produces stuff of value to other people. Hobbies produce stuff of value only to yourself. This does not mean that you have to slavishly write for the lowest common denominator of the market. Not every chef has to works for McDonalds.
But, to continue the analogy, when I make a meal for my wife, I put a lot of time and effort into making something good. When I cook for myself, I generally heat soup. You will do better work when you are working to create something for someone else to enjoy.
If you treat writing like a job, you will do more work, and it will be better work. And if you produce more work and better work, you might even end up making money from it. And if not, unpaid work is still work, as long as you are keeping a schedule, hitting a target, and working to create value for someone other than yourself.

#1: Initial revision by

Mark Baker‭ · 2020-01-18T03:22:05Z (almost 5 years ago)

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To me, treat it like a job means two things, principally:

First, set a regular work schedule and/or production target. Write from 9am to noon, or from 8pm to 11. Or else set yourself a word count target for the day. 1000 words, 1200 words, 2000 words: what ever is a reasonable goal for a work day.

Do this and you will inevitably get more done. A professional working writer does not hang around waiting for the muse. The professional working writer makes the muse get her butt out of bed and go to work every morning. Writing is a craft and, like any craft, it improves with practice. And, like any craft, it can be performed on demand. And, if you are serious about it, you will have to perform on demand regularly or you will never get anything done.

Second, write for an audience. Work produced stuff of value to other people. Hobbies produce something of value only to yourself. This does not mean that you have to slavishly write for the lowest common denominator of the market. Not every chef has to works for McDonalds.

But, to continue the analogy, when make a meal for my wife, I put a lot of time and effort into making something good. When I cook for myself, I generally heat soup. You will do better work when you are working to create something for someone else to enjoy.

If you treat writing like a job, you will do more work, and it will be better work. And if you produce more work and better work, you might even end up making money from it. And if not, unpaid work is still work, as long as you are keeping a schedule, hitting a target, and working to create value for someone other than yourself.

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