Your average adult in the Western world spends more than a third of our total waking hours at work. A lot of my identity and happiness is tied to my performance of my work, and a lot of the joy I have experienced in the last six years has been connected directly to my writing.
”But does it feel like work?” is a pretty frequent question, often phrased in different ways (“It must be nice to do something that doesn’t feel like work!” is relatively common, as is “Oh, it must feel weird to work in your PJs!” isn’t rate). And the answer is… yes. Yes it feels like work because it is work.
Back in 2019 I had my first trip to Japan, and it was glorious. Ten days, eight of which were spent in Tokyo and two of which I spent in Kyoto. And I wrote every single day. It was great!
Since 2016, I have taken most of my vacations as week-long trips to a small rented cottage on the lakeshore… in the middle of winter. Why? So I can write in peace without interruption. Sure, it’s nice to be in a place that has nice hiking trails, and to eat different food (my vacation breakfast-of-choice is crumpets… no idea why, but I really love crumpets and I only eat them on vacation!), but mostly I’m there to write.
Wake up, eat breakfast, write, eat lunch, write, go for a walk, eat dinner, write, go to bed. An ideal day.
So yes, writing “feels” like work. It feels like work I love doing and I am constantly trying to get better at, but it’s still work.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!