The incurable disease of writing
“Many suffer from the incurable disease of writing and it becomes chronic in their sick minds” — Juvenal (AD 60-130)
Being a freelancer is not like working in a normal 9-5 job. Here it is 6:37 a.m. and I have been at work for a little over an hour. I expect to work until I sleep tonight, somewhere between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. for a total work day of roughly 14 to 16 hours – give or take a little time because of pausing to eat and other necessities.
I probably put between 10 and 12 hours into working in given day, and some days I end up working straight through to the next day for more in the line of 20 to 24 hours of work. It is not the life for anyone that wants to have a life.
But, I do love my work, and I know that I could as easily stop breathing as I could stop writing. Sure I can give writing up for a little while, but I start to turn funny colors and go all sweaty, lunging for the nearest pencil and notebook like a drowning man lunging for a life preserver.
If you are not as addicted to writing, then the career of a freelance writer might not be something you would want to pursue. I write not because I have to, not because I want to, not even because I love to, I write for all of those reasons and more.