: Re: How can one "treat writing as a job" even though it doesn't pay? I hear this advice a lot: "Treat your writing as a job." But it seems to me that this is easier said/done when it is actually

@Gonzalez219

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Some people are volunteers, and they never get paid (except with a verbal or written thank you).

Some people get paid as soon as they do something (e.g. a waiter paid almost entirely in tips).

Some people get paid at the end of the day.

Some people get paid at the end of the week.

Some people get paid at the end of the month.

You are working a job where you'll get paid next year, or maybe the one after, or maybe not at all.

It's not the length of time, it's the uncertainty of "maybe not at all" that makes your situation so much different from the others.

The advice to "treat it like a job" means that you have to ignore that "maybe".
As long as you're thinking that you might not get paid, you might be wasting your time, etc. you are going to find yourself not working as diligently as you should, working shorter hours, being careless, and even giving up too soon.

If you don't have the mindset that you are working at a permanent job, and that you are a responsible and hardworking employee, you simply won't be productive and what you do produce won't be as good as it could be.

If it helps, think of yourself as working at a volunteer job. You will work hard, be productive, care enough to do it right, and enjoy yourself in the meantime.

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