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Jodi Cleghorn in her post The 21 Days of NaNoWriMo « Write Anything  basically reveals what I think is the real benefit of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) – establishing a writing habit.  It is a lot like Self Magazine’s March Makeover (do they still do that?), which  helped to establish a healthy eating and exercise habit in the participant’s life.

I write for a living, so essentially I’m writing everyday.  However, it’s “reactionary” writing.  When I had a cubicle job, I wrote in reaction to the day’s goals and deadlines.  Now with my freelance clients, I write in reaction to the specific project deadlines.  This is great for learning how to circumvent “writer’s block,” but it is not conducive to forming a writing habit.

Since I’ve ventured into the freelance periodical market, I am training myself to research and write in the mornings and early afternoons, and market in the late afternoons.  I’ve established a routine, which mimics in some respects my cubicle days.  It gives a sense of structure to my day, and slowly the schedule becomes habitual – much like an actual job.

My responsibility towards my clients keeps me on track and motivated in my work.  I am hoping NaNoWriMo jumpstarts my personal creative writing projects – beyond journaling for three pages every morning.  I want to write towards a goal.

So, I’ve pledged to write a 50,000 word piece of fiction by the end of November.  I’ve set aside a few hours every morning before my “day job” to work on this.  I would like to reach the word goal by November 30, but regardless I’ll be a winner if I have established a writing habit by the end.

NaNoWriMo, What I've Learned & From Whom I Learned It fiction, NaNoWriMo, national novel writing month, novel, writing, writing habit

 Bad career advice: Do what you love | Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist

I, too, bought the book mentioned in Penelope Trunk’s post when I was fresh out of college, but ignored what it said to pursue a bunch of different careers.  And I’m not sorry about that – I’ve worked at some pretty interesting jobs, and I wouldn’t trade my education and experience for anything. 

What do you think about the statement to do what you are?  Since childhood I’ve been a writer and am lucky enough to get paid for it in my adult life. Whether I’ve been paid or not, writing satisfies a need deep inside of me to communicate and bond with others through shared experiences. I don’t always love the job, though.  As with all jobs, there is a pressure to perform, there is donkeywork (filing, calendars to keep, and bookkeeping), and there is a third party to please.  Writer’s block is a luxury.  Even if you can’t think of a thing to write you have to plow through, all the while hoping that something useful and well written is created.

I’ve had jobs I loved for the process (bookbinder, designer), jobs that I loved for the satisfaction derived from the work (writing), and jobs I disliked (not naming those – burning bridges and all that). All I know for certain is that if you are working in a profession that doesn’t meet your intrinsic intellectual, ethical and moral standards, you will never be happy, have a tremendous amount of stress, and possibly a shortened lifespan. 

So, maybe it’s not about doing what you are or what you love.  Maybe it’s about doing work that supports who you are and what you believe.  For me, it’s writing.  For my friend, it’s owning a bike shop.  For another friend and her husband, it’s organic farming.  Perhaps to love the work that you do, it has to be personal.

What I've Learned & From Whom I Learned It careers, work, writing