Pros

  1. Once you've written something, you're a writer. Once someone else has published your work, you're an author. It's a great feeling on both accounts. 
  2. Writing is eternal. You are not. You won't leave behind your job as a legacy because no one will read your work notes. They go into the trash bin along with work awards, employee of the month certificates and old pay stubs. People will read your stories once you are gone. Moreover, anyone who read them will be influenced by them, just as you were by every story you've read.  
  3. You bring worlds to life. You breathe them into existence.  From galaxies down to molecules and everything in between. You have the capacity to envision every aspect and to create from whole cloth what cannot be envisioned. This is a gift that you don't waste when you're a writer.
  4. You feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you complete a monumental task done out of love. Like a piece of excellent furniture or a painting, you have created something semi-permanent and beautiful for no other reason that you wanted to. That's self-actualization right there.

 

Cons

  1. It takes a long, LONG time to be good. 
  2. You probably won't make any money at it (but don't stop trying). 
  3. When you are in the zone you are unavailable to others. IE: Find someone who not only loves a writer, but can understand them.  
  4. Like any art meant for consumption, people will criticize it. Take constructive criticism, ignore the rest. 

 

You know it's worth it. For no other reason that to do it. What Pros and Cons do you have to share?

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