Today I’m lifting the lid on the best things about being a writer. Well, the best things from my perspective, anyway 😉 If you’ve ever dreamed about being a writer you probably have a few ideas about the benefits you’d enjoy. Read on – you might be surprised …
#1 – Fan mail. Oh yes, this jumps right in there at number one – there is nothing quite so lovely as receiving an email or message from a reader who loved one of your books. I hear from readers quite a lot, partly because I make an effort to encourage it, and it’s always such an incredible buzz. These days authors need to be accessible in lots of different ways – email, Twitter, Facebook – so that readers can engage with them in the way that suits the reader best. I always answer messages from readers, and fellow writers of course.
#2 – Revenge. Come on, you’ve never thought about this? The number of people I’ve put in my books so I can carry out some kind of revenge must be in double figures by now. Even though the people who’ve offended or hurt you in some way will probably never know (usually they’re far too obtuse to care anyway), it’s still hugely satisfying to cast someone from your past as an unsavory character, or to kill off a person who wronged you – in your imagination, of course. Not in real life.
#3 – Stationery. Yes, one of the big loves of my life – stationery. I love all of it: notepads, folders, paper, envelopes, paperclips, post-its, those see-through plastic wallets you put in folders. I could spend hours in stationery stores, and becoming a writer finally gave me a good excuse to buy tons of the stuff. (My first job – hairdresser – had to go because it just wasn’t stationery-related enough.)
#4 – Sitting. I am very, very lazy. I can be incredibly industrious, but I can also be astonishingly lazy, expecting other people to wait on me hand and foot, and if I had the choice I would just sit for hours in a comfy chair. And oh! I do have the choice. I’m a writer.
#5 – Working in your PJs. To be honest, I don’t actually work in my PJs – I do tend to get dressed for the school run in the morning. But the point is, I could if I wanted to. Working from home is so wonderful because it really doesn’t matter what you look like. Unless I’m doing a Skype call, I can literally chuck on any old thing and not worry about make-up. Bliss!

#6 – No colleagues. Linked to the above point, not having to go to a place of work means no colleagues. More bliss! I wouldn’t call myself anti-social (although I am), but I really dislike enforced social contact. And working in most non-home environments calls for chatting and interacting with people you might not feel like interacting with just then. I don’t have to do any of that. It’s wonderful. Does it get lonely? Well, I live in the middle of nowhere so occasionally I do go a bit stir crazy and go out to the big town. Or meet a friend for coffee. But not often.
#7 – Books! I love to be surrounded by books, and have always had a house full of bookcases and shelves. And there really are few things better than holding your own books in your hands. That’s why I’ll always endeavour to have print versions of my books. It’s not really for readers who don’t own Kindles – it’s for me.

#8 – Being bossy. Basically, when I’m writing I’m in charge. My characters have to do exactly what I want them to do – it’s such a buzz being in control of the whole world, even if it is just the world of the novel. They are my creations, out of my imagination, and the natural control freak in me just loves being in charge.
#9 – Other writers. An amazing thing happens when you connect with people through your writing – you discover that other writers are lovely too. There is an amazingly supportive community out there (in the main – there are always people who take, take, take without giving, of course, but I try to ignore them), and I count a number of fellow authors among my close friends now. I even meet a couple of them on a regular basis, which considering point #6 proves I really do like them.

#10 – An active mind. I could have had lots of things for my last in the list – I haven’t mentioned freedom or money, for instance – but I couldn’t finish up without mentioning the wonderful benefits of using your mind in a creative way. As people get older they often take to crosswords or puzzles to keep their minds active. Writing uses your brain in lots of different ways, and older writers tend to be more engaged, more inquisitive, and actually brighter than their non-writing counterparts. So there’s another great reason to take up writing if you don’t already. It’ll help you stay younger.
Feel free to add to my list! What are your best things about being a writer?
March 17, 2014 at 10:55 am
I echo all of the above Joanne and am pleased that you managed to find a sunny day to photograph the summer house. Sat in the garden for a whole hour yesterday writing… bliss! Back inside with the heating on today.. sigh 🙂
March 17, 2014 at 12:17 pm
Hi Jade, I did take that photo last summer, but I was out painting it again yesterday. Only another two coats to go – bah!
x
March 17, 2014 at 10:57 am
Great post, Jo – and thanks for the name-check! Funnily enough I had coffee with Lindsay the other day in Tewkesbury and we decided we must do it regularly – so lovely to meet up in person for a chat, and I wish you lived a bit closer so we could too.
My favourite thing about being a writer? Er, the writing! I love having free rein to bang on about anything I like on my personal blog, as well as being able to turn my favourite hobby since childhood into my career.
I agree with all your reasons except the “no colleagues” one – the cat’s not great at water-cooler small-talk.
And I’m typing this comment in my pyjamas at 11am!!
March 21, 2014 at 10:12 am
In your PJs at 11am! I love it 🙂 x
March 17, 2014 at 12:01 pm
Great list, and totally yes to the stationary! 😀
March 17, 2014 at 12:11 pm
Lovely post, Jo, and how nice to be included – along with Debbie – as one of the best bits about being a writer. The downsides of being a writer often predominate, so it’s great to read something so positive, and I agree on the wonderful support and friendship other writers (some of them!) offer. I’m also besotted with stationery!.
March 17, 2014 at 12:19 pm
Hi Lindsay,
I love that photo, even with the balloons 🙂 I’ve corrected my spelling of ‘stationery’ (pesky WordPress auto-correct) – but it is true that I also enjoy being very still 😉
Love Jo x
March 17, 2014 at 12:26 pm
Yes, yes, to all of them! Great list! I do occasionally crave other people’s company, but it’s nice for it to be a matter of choice (when, where and with whom I want to meet) rather than with colleagues whom you may not care about.
March 21, 2014 at 10:14 am
Hi Marina,
The funny thing is that most of the people I know who say they hate their jobs don’t actually hate the work they do – they find the people they work with, or are managed by, extremely stressful. When you work for yourself, by yourself, you don’t have any of that input, which is lovely 🙂
x
March 17, 2014 at 12:26 pm
There’s something very happy about the photo, isn’t there? Sorry about my cheeky slipping in of ‘stationery’. I’ve got my comeuppance as I notice there’s a full stop and an exclamation mark at the end of my previous comment.
March 18, 2014 at 7:27 am
As much as I’m appathetic about my job I think I would miss my colleagues. As for the working in my pjs though, I could do that all week 🙂 One of my favourite things about being a writer is that every time I sit down at my laptop I’m going on an adventure. That sounds kind of corny but it’s an amazing feeling when everything comes together.
March 21, 2014 at 10:15 am
Hi Debbie,
It doesn’t sound corny at all! I know exactly what you mean – I love losing myself in a piece of writing, and I know it’s going well when I really don’t want to leave the world I’m creating. (Yesterday I was nearly late picking my daughter up from school because I just forgot the time! It’s never happened before, but it does show me that what I’m writing right now is really working.) 🙂
March 18, 2014 at 4:32 pm
I would definitely love to have no work colleagues to deal with. There’s only so many excuses I can come up with to avoid ‘team-building’ exercises. I don’t want to be on their team anymore!
Great post x
March 21, 2014 at 10:19 am
I’m exactly the same, and it’s taken me many years to be able to say loud and proud “I am not a team person.” We live in a world where there’s this emphasis on teams, and being a team-player, but I fight it. there’s nothing wrong about being a natural loner. Teams are great, of course, in the right place, but there is also a need for people to be able to work successfully as individuals. Maybe “co-existing” exercises are what we need instead of team building ones 🙂
March 19, 2014 at 3:22 am
I’m sure I could do much better at incorporating stationery into my writing life – so fun to see that in your list.
Related to working in your PJs is the ability to work anywhere; I have a little writerly fantasy of spending a couple of months in England each summer. And I’ve never tried writing from a beach cottage in Tahiti, so it would be fun to give that a whirl 😉
March 21, 2014 at 10:21 am
Hi Pauline,
That’s a great point – being able to work anywhere is definitely a bonus. I do tend to get distracted in public places, like coffee shops and the like, and I am a lover of complete silence when I’m working. (Tell the cows!) Do you think your fantasy of coming back to England to work for the summer will come true soon? Hope so 🙂 x
March 23, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who gets less writing done in coffeeshops; so many writers seem to need to leave the house to get anything done. I seem to do best on my sofa, like you, usually with complete silence.
As for my transatlantic writing fantasy, I think that’s a long term goal for now!!
March 27, 2014 at 7:05 am
What a lovely post, Joanne! Your list is certainly one I can agree with. So interesting that you also get excited about stationery! Even though I do most things on a computer these days, I still love filing papers in physical folders and making notes by hand with a beautiful pen!
March 29, 2014 at 10:30 am
I love this post! I think you’ve described all the things I love about being a writer. Writing makes me happy and I can’t ever imagine not doing it.
November 17, 2014 at 7:24 pm
I totally agree with the Revenge point. I am only 20 and when people hear or see that I am writing a book, I usually get laughed at. That basically inspires me to write a few more paragraphs. I have however decided l, that once I have published, I would like nothing more than to send a few of them the book and write inside only one word: “Haha”.
The post is quite inspiring, makes me want to succeed. 😊