A Piece of Cake

Why do some people think writing a book is easy?

I’ve wanted to be a writer pretty much my whole life. I’ve written stories since I was ten years old and I have never once thought or said or assumed that it was a piece of cake. There are times when it’s not so hard to put words on paper, and times when it’s a lot like bleeding on cue, but it’s never a snap.

I complain because lately I’ve taken some flack by non-writers for not having produced a mountain of prose in the short time I’ve been only partially employed. I ‘quit’ my day job at the end of October [though I still go into the office once or twice a week]. I can’t complain about the arrangement though it’s not exactly what I had in mind when I decided to throw all caution to the wind and become a ‘full-time writer.’

I explained to my co-workers that I would be writing full-time now, pursuing my lifelong dream and, surprisingly, they accepted that plan enthusiastically. So of course after six weeks of showing my face in the office just once in a while, they’ve been asking me how it’s going. I told the truth. I’ve got nine chapters of my WIP completed.

“Nine chapters?! That’s all!?” Someone exclaimed.

Uh. Yeah.

I wanted to say, “How many chapters do you have done on YOUR fourth novel? Eh?” But I didn’t. I made some lame mumblings about that being actually pretty good and wandered off to the copy room to stew. Like it’s easy to write nine chapters of a novel. I can’t imagine the caterwauling I’d hear if I told them how long it takes me to write a five-page synopsis. They’d never understand. I’m a writer, after all. I ditched my ‘real’ job to stay home and tickle my computer keys all day – so why don’t I have a million words or more under my belt like J.K. Rawling? How hard could it be, right?

Right. I’m off to try something easier than writing – like transforming lead into gold or squeezing blood from a stone. See ya’ later.