This is what I do...

...when I should be doing something else.

I saw a twitter message from another 20 something writer who basically said "It's Friday night and I'm writing. The hardest thing about being a writer is putting the work in."

I agree, and disagree. I mean, finding the time (especially right now for me: full time job, full time student, graduating in 3 weeks, preparing for job next year, etc.) is damn near impossible at some points. I really respect the dedication of that writer. For a twenty something year old who lives in LA, staying inside on a Friday night to type up a rough draft of something that you're giving away basically for free, doesn't always seem like a fair trade. But for me, more and more I find myself writing when I should be studying, or preparing for the TeachForAmerica institute this summer. It's 1:30 in the morning, I have to be up early, and still have other work to do. I just slammed out 800 words on a story I'm working on, and here I am still plugging away.

I love it. It fulfills me. 

The hardest part about being a writer is waiting for the world to appreciate what you've done. No contest. Hands down. Except for J.D. Salinger who probably has ten books locked up in a deposit box. I'm not saying I write for the world, but I certainly don't write to shove my stuff under my bed at night. I write because I have stories to tell and things to say, and I want the world to hear them.

Does that sound conceited?

It probably does, but I came to the conclusion fairly soon after I decided to pursue this career that to be an artist you have to be conceited. The mere fact that you believe you have something worth putting down on paper, or on a record, or on a canvas- not to mention the fact that others might actually enjoy your drivel- is a feat that only the most self appraising minds can accomplish.

I don't know where I'm going with this, or how I got this far, actually.

Basically, I love what I do.