I have a substantial amount of hobbies in addition to writing. I like to play the guitar, to ski, to travel, to learn about cultures and languages, drawing comics—the list goes on and on. And even amidst all that, I make time for a social life too. Some of us may be in a position where we think, I’ll have a social life after I’m published. Or maybe there are those of us wishing we could somehow get out of family and social obligations to write.
I’ve heard some authors say at writers conferences it’s okay to neglect family for the sake of writing. You can always make it up to them, they say. But I’m of the mind that no success outside of the home makes up for failure in the home. That’s why this quote appealed to me so much, from David Brin:
If you have other things in your life—family, friends, good productive day work—these can interact with your writing and the sum will be all the richer.
Sometimes those things we think are interfering with our writing are actually enriching our writing. Being a parent, a friend, a co-worker, etc. can and usually does feed our inspiration. Sometimes I also wonder whether or not it would be a good thing to only do writing full time. It seems like you gain experiences working the day job that you may not gain any other place.
And speaking of David Brin, he’s got some fabulous advice for writers on his site. I’ll admit, I haven’t read any David Brin. Sounds like I need to. One line I really like from his advice was: If you really are a writer, you will write! Nothing can stop you. How right he is.
Do you believe your relationships, whether at work, home or with friends influences your writing? Were you able, would you only write full time? Have you read David Brin? Would you recommend his books? Do you agree that if you’re really a writer, nothing can stop you? Let us know below.
Lit and Scribbles with Jae 