L.A. Garnett – Author

Something I’ve run into the past few months is the fact that I’ve made my favorite hobby—writing—into a job and, therefore, it is no longer relaxing in the same way it used to be.

It’s so important for humans to have hobbies. I think it resets us after a long day (or week… or month) and allows us to be people. Like, if I were to just put my head down and grind through a week, I’d be exhausted. There’s work, childcare, and the technical behind-the-scenes parts of writing that I just don’t find as fun as the literal “putting pen to paper” part of the job.

Now, if I take some time out of the week to, let’s say, crochet, or exercise—I just feel better. Losing writing as one of those things has been tough, because it’s something that still brings me a lot of joy, it just has a bit of baggage latched onto it now too. A little voice that says “you should be working on one of your main projects, not this” whenever I try something new.

I think a big part of making your passion your work is understanding that, while it ight change your perspective, the act itself is the same. I still enjoy putting a pen to paper (or, in my case, fingers to the keyboard). I have to remind myself, though, that I do have time to spend on side projects. Not everything I write needs to be polished for publication. If it gets there—great. But, ultimately, that’s not why I write. I write for me. I hope that adds a level of authenticity to my work that you enjoy.