There are perks and irritations with being a writer. Everyone around me has their own interpretation of what being a writer means. Just as a taxi driver would get annoyed if everyone expected him to be the designated driver on a night out, a writer has some similar irritations. Then there are those aspects of being a writer that border on the obsessive.
Yes, there is much that is wonderful about being a writer. But then there are the niggly things. The tiny annoyances that happen the moment you tell someone that you're a writer.
Being a writer means…
- Always being asked to write the message in every family birthday card
- Being expected to answer accurately every spelling query without looking it up
- Everyone assumes you have read every major novel and can recommend one
- Grammar can keep you awake at night
- Coffee keeps you awake during the day
- People assume you have time on your hands ‘cause you don’t do a ‘real’ job
- All your emails are held to a higher standard
- You are expected to provide the definition of any word friends come across
- Your wedding speeches have to be better than anyone else’s
- Misuse of the apostrophe can cause temper tantrums and family breakdowns
- Friends enjoy pointing out your errors and typos on everything – even notes on the fridge
- Friends hate you pointing out their errors and typos – calling it nitpicking
- Sons, daughters, nieces and nephews all expect you to write their English assignments.
- One family member always sums up your career with “So are you famous yet?”
- Every time you receive a rejection letter, a small piece of you dies
What do you think being a writer means?
