One of the greatest quotes I’ve found recently was about writing, even though it doesn’t mention writing or writers.

Some writers excuse a lack of production by claiming a malady called writers block. Writers block, we are told, is an affliction where a writer simply can’t think of something to write about or just can’t put finger to keyboard to produce.

It’s a lot of hooey. And after reading this quote, you’ll never be able to think about writers block the same way. And you’ll find yourself losing a bit of respect for anyone who claims it’s keeping them from their job.

The quote: “I’ve never heard of plumber’s block.”

Which means that no one who’s a plumber claims that he can’t do his job for a lack of inspiration. For “plumber” you can substitute nurse or building contractor or software developer or a thousand other jobs.

The point being that there’s nothing special about writers. They are not muses, they are not prophets, and they are not people who have to wait for inspiration. They are there to do their jobs, and the way any job gets done is by doing it.

Everyone has days when they don’t like their job. (If you have more days when you don’t like your job than when you do, you should probably reconsider what you’re doing, but that’s for another article).

I used to be a nurse. Most days, I really liked what I did. It was fun, challenging, and a career I grew in. And on the off days, I did my job like I did on most days: as if I was having a good time at it. Because, frankly, no one cares if you’re having a bad day. Do your job.

Same for writers. If you commit to writing as a career, write. If it’s full time, maybe you’ll write, on a regular schedule, four hours a day. If part time, commit to an hour a day or whatever you can do, but do it. You get to call yourself a writer when you actually write. And only then.