Writers, aspiring anyway, don't get much respect or consideration. Never mind the greats such as George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling, Diana Gabaldon, and Dan Brown were all struggling at one point in their lives when trying to write their master pieces. George Lucas waited 20 years before writing down Star Wars. John Milton died in debt though Paradise Lost is now a household name in English Literature. William Shakespeare had an easier time though he still lived pay check to pay check even though we all don't finish high school until we read Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet.
I myself have a Bachelor's degree in Radio/TV/Film (about as useless as an English degree) but I don't have a huge interest in video editing or filming. I love TV shows and Movies but I prefer writing them to filming them. Mostly because I know how difficult and a pain in the ass it is to get the whole thing together. I just can't take the stress of long hours and deadlines that comes with production. I stick to writing scripts. I have a few professors who marveled at the scripts I've written. So much that they put them in archives in case some student wants to make them. "Wow you wrote that just last night?" Writing comes natural to me. Like most writers I'm a recluse who prefers a book to a real person.
Look I understand I have to make a living and I do. I have a paycheck every week and health benefits that I don't pay $1,000 a month for. Being a cashier isn't a dream career but I'm well off and it allows me enough time to write casually. I just can't stand the sly or judgmental looks that say "Look how unsuccessful she is". I'm 27 (though some say I look 22 or younger ) and my friends talk about reaching their 30s like it's a death sentence. All I want is a roof over my head and a book or a nice leather journal to write all my ideas down (I have 6).
I suppose to most writing in any way makes someone seem lazy or unambitious. And yeah most of the time trying to get your novel published or your movie script produced feels like a hopeless battle with piles of rejection letters but even if I don't make money I can't imagine myself NOT writing anything. I've joined a few writing sites to get my stories out there and no they won't pay me but whenever someone comments saying "This is great" or "I love this" or even "My new favorite character!" it's enough to make me smile.
I write for myself and no one else. I write stories because I want to read them. I have so many ideas in my head I'll explode if I don't jot one down on paper. It's what makes me happy. It's what keeps me sane or at least gets my demons down on paper to make them less frightening. The thing I want most in life is to be happy and maybe that makes me seem lazy but I'd rather wake up and like myself for doing things my way than hating myself for not pursuing a passion.
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