Attendees at an Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference

When I first began writing as a career, I turned for advice and inspiration to the many professional magazines available to writers. Though their practical content usually kept me motivated as I endured the pain of a creative career, I sometimes found their motivational material a bit over the top.

I remember reading solemn advice (or warnings) from successful writers along the lines of “writing has to be the most important thing in the world to you” or “you have to put writing first–before anything else.” One writer went so far as to say, “writing has to be as important to you as breathing.” This sounds good, but oh, it is such dangerous advice.

Unless you’re the one-in-a-million writer who hits the bestseller list, makes a lot of money, or at least becomes well-known, writing had better not be the most important thing in your life. When you try and try and try and get nothing but rejections or mediocre sales, you’d better have other, more important–more stable–aspects of life to fall back on. Just think: If you are one in 10,000 authors submitting to an editor who has slots for only 80 books that year, 9,920 hopeful writers are bound to be disappointed. (And you will probably be one of them.) If you pin your self-esteem and value only on what the world decides to give you, you will be unhappy and defeated much of the time.

No. Writing should be important to you, just as any job should be. You should strive to do your best, help yourself all you can, and enjoy the opportunities you make or receive. BUT, God, family, friends, and community are all more important. Your hobbies and other joyful activities matter just as much.

Do what you love, but keep your priorities straight.