Smoking Diary #13: So You Wanna Be a Writer

by Sarah Hepola

It’s 2:36am, an hour more suited to crashing than rising. Alas, your narrator is on the outs with sleep. Today’s topic: The writing life. Restless nights, financial instability, fame hunger, professional disappointment, killing your darlings — in writing and romance.

Writing is a difficult career, but a rich and rewarding pursuit. People tend to beat themselves up for not writing well, or not writing enough, but sometimes the stories that live inside us aren’t ready to be told yet. Maybe you don’t want to be a writer, after all. Or maybe you already are one.