I hate writing. I love having written. –Dorothy Parker
The first time I read the above quote, I was shocked by the first sentence. That's just wrong, right? For a writer to hate writing? And to admit to it?
Well, honestly, when I search not too incredibly deep into my soul, I can admit that I don't enjoy writing. Not novels, at least. While it's happening, I find the process to be frustrating, difficult, depressing, annoying, stressful, and IMPOSSIBLE. I'm constantly moping around and making exclamations such as, "I'll never finish this!" and "It's so hard!"
But I keep going. Little by little. Sentences, paragraphs, pages, scenes, chapters. AFTER I've written these things, I love them. I especially love when, together, they form a finished manuscript. For me, finished manuscripts are Best Thing Ever, The. I was so high from the accomplishment of finishing my last one (which, sadly, was a long time ago) that I didn't sleep for three days afterward. Even something small like finishing a five-page scene gives me a rush that will sometimes last for hours.
I hear advice all the time that if you don't love writing, you should follow other pursuits in life. Odds are, you aren't going to make enough money from it to support yourself anyway, so why put yourself through that?
While I'm in the seemingly endless process of writing/revising a manuscript, I find myself pondering if I'd be better off taking that advice. I can't, though. Because even though I don't love writing, I do love having written more than just about anything.