Do You Have a Writing Life?
How you can create a life centered around writing
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” — Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
What is the writing life? The writing life simply means a life in which writing plays an important, if not central, role. It is how writers spend each day, surrounded by words.
Writing isn’t a 9–5 job and writers don’t just work when inspiration strikes. Writers make writing a part of everything they do. It isn’t just a job; it is a way of life.
A good example of this is the writer Benjamin Percy. He says “I never take it easy — I’m always working, always writing or editing or grading. Even when I’m supposedly relaxing, I’m not. If I’m at the gym, I’m listening to an audiobook. If I’m watching a movie, I’ve got my notebook out and I’m jotting down ideas. If I’m out in the yard with my kids, I’m pushing around sentences in my head.”
This is a perfect example of what the writing life can mean for one person. However, a daily writing life doesn’t look the same to everyone and doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. You’ll have to find your own path, so to speak.
Note: Author Annie Dillard’s book The Writing Life is recommended reading for more information, as well. My information here is my own…
