Writing Is Not Just A Nice Hobby. It's More Than That.

Becoming A Writer

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Writing Is Not Just A Nice Hobby. It's More Than That.

Episode 6 of Becoming A Writer podcast.

Rubina G Gomes

Mar 15, 2024

Transcript

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Hello, my writer friends! Rubina here. For our sixth conversation, we are going to talk about how writing is not just a nice hobby. It's more than that.

One of the first things I did after being freed from the shackles of the education system was to look for a job.

My thought was to get a simple and menial job that wouldn’t consume too much of my time and mental and physical energy, which I could then direct towards my writing.

So, I sat down with Google again and started looking up job portals. Not only did I not find a job worth giving a shot, but I experienced something I couldn’t explain back then.

When I would be reading about the various job postings, I could feel my physical body in anguish. My body would repel itself from the keyboard. It didn’t matter which job I was looking at, even anything writing-related, my insides would scream and screech and try to run away. And the moment I’d close the browser, it would quiet down. Later, if I just gave job hunting a thought, my insides would throw a tantrum like a 3-year-old at a supermarket.

A few years later, I got the chance to work directly with writers, helping them with editing, proofreading and beta-reading. And though I enjoyed the work and was blessed with the pay, I still felt something amiss. My insides weren’t agitated this time but weren’t happy either.

Then, a couple of years later, when I finally started my own writing projects, I finally found peace. After the initial nerves and excitement, my insides were happy again like a 3-year-old with her favourite ice cream.

I now realise that my body was trying to tell what my soul knew all along. That I cannot not write. That I am and need to be a writer. My core is Writing. From there, other dreams, projects, and jobs will be born, not the other way around.

Writing is not just a nice hobby or a side hustle to have. It’s who I am. And it is up to me to breathe life into this dream.

Not having a regular job was a scary decision to make. Not following the society-approved path was a hard decision to accept. I come from a middle-class Indian family where you get a job the moment you step out of the college gates and, within a few years, get married. So, not doing either of those is a gossip-inducing act.

I know the type of Writing I want to do, along with the intense loyalty I feel towards it, I have to give it my all. My time, my attention, my focus, my love.

Writing is necessary because it matters to me. On the days when I can’t write, I feel cranky. The days I don’t write, I don’t feel alive. There was a time when reading helped me survive; now, writing is what helps me thrive.

So I have to write, no matter what.

I started by first believing in myself.

I believe that if you dream of becoming a writer, it means you are already one. That means you have what it takes to achieve this dream, and you will achieve it. There is no denying this fact.

So never for a moment can we, in the face of failure, distractions, obstacles and setbacks, think, "Ah! Maybe I am not meant to be a writer." We don't need to be the person who doesn't believe in themselves. That’s a job others can have.

We need to keep this writing dream alive in us. Because if we don't, who will?

And to do that, the next thing I did was take one small step at a time.

Writing a novel felt daunting to me. So, I told myself to just write a chapter. Some days that felt too much, so I told myself to write the next scene. And even when that felt too much, I told myself to take a day off to rest and recharge, and we’ll try again the next day.

Do whatever it takes to keep the flame of your writing dream burning. And when the time is right, ripe and aligned, things will work out for you. It always does.

To make sure I made the most of my time, I cut off the fluff.

I haven’t had a social life since college, except for two long-distant but very loyal and non-toxic friends. I have never had any romantic relationships in my life – they require time, attention, focus and love too, which I can’t divide with my writing and family time. I worked on healing my inner child and coming to terms with whatever hurt I felt, freeing my mind to write. I stopped my gym membership and now exercise around my writing schedule at home. After years of experimenting, I found a writing process that works for me. I have deleted Instagram from my phone, and reduced my YouTube consumption to the channels that provide me something valuable. I have stopped listening to online or offline people who provide shallow or repetitive advice. I downsized my expectations for the day and my writing. And I shifted my focus from outcome-based to satisfaction-based.

Does this seem harsh? Yes. But sacrifices need to be made when you are trying to achieve a dream that you so deeply believe in.

Because I know the moment I step out of this dream, society will take my place. It will come rushing and stay like an unwelcomed guest who never leaves, and then it will start running my life and ruining my dream. They may not, will not, understand how important Writing is to me. So it is up to me to protect it.

Well, that's it for today. Next time we meet, we'll talk about trusting our writing process.

Until then, keep writing, my friend.