>>33527187
I started being a writer at 20, writing for a school newspaper, then working as a freelancer and wrote 10 books for myself (and dozens ghostwritten).
Here’s the secret: you have to love the act itself, not just the result. It’s a passion, and even now with a full work schedule, my mind randomly conjures up chapters to add, features to integrate (like Knaussgard or Raymond Carver), and which cover would best compliment the text.
At no point did I not have something written and say damn wish I was a writer. The ideas came first. I remember reading the complete works of Chekhov in about 3 days and my world was electrified. I even copied a few stories verbatim (a la hunter S Thompson), just to simulate the feeling of the effort required to write by hand a story that was once written by candlelight.
But imagining myself as a writer and all the accolades? I’ll admit that seeing women read my stories in the school newspaper was a hoot and I even got a reputation as holding the record for the most prolific writer in its history. But really? It was just one more story, one more opinion, one more subconscious tale, one more interview - you could easily write micro fiction but won’t. Why? YOURE IN LOVE WITH THE IDEA OF BEING A WRITER NOT THE WRITING ITSELF.
Also, newsflash: most people hate writers. Either by jealousy or by suspicion, no one likes the profession (especially with today’s modern journalism)