And another one from Erica Orloff's blog: Why Do You Do This? (3 Feb 2011):


Here's the thing . . . writing isn't easy. Not if you want to do it well. It's not break-your-back work. It's not life-or-death, oh-so-important work. It's not braving frontiers in space or science. But it isn't something you master. Ever. I mean some professions, you go to college, you earn a degree, you go out and make your living at it. There might be updates to accounting codes, or changes in technology, things do change, but you learn the new changes and you master then and on you go.

Not so with writing. You never master it. And it generally takes years of pounding out words to learn to do it passably well.

And on top of that, instead of having one boss, if you publish your work, anyone in the entire world who buys your book (and even those who don't) can have an opinion on it. A public opinion. Some won't even be polite about it.

And on top of that, you have to produce something. Three hundred pages of "something." And even THAT isn't enough because you will critique it to death, and fuss over it, and make multiple drafts. You will rip it apart and put it back together again. And you still won't be happy with it. Not really. Once you think it's done, you will kick yourself for all the ways in which it could be better.

So the question remains. Why do you do this? Why do I do this? Head, meet desk.

Except . . . I have the galleys for Magickeepers III on my computer up there. And Mr. Fed Ex brought me the hardcover Spanish-language translation for Magickeepers I yesterday.

And I am reminded.

Yes. This is why I do this.

That and getting to work in my pjs.