While I have not (yet) published a book, the sentiment of George Orwell echoes what I have previously read from Annie Dillard.
Isn’t it odd how our mental struggles can have such physical manifestations?
Stress can make our back hurt.
Studying can make us tired.
And writing can make us ill.
As Orwell alludes, sometimes the only solace is in endurance, found in the comfort of obsession.
My advice?
If you can’t be the lowest price in town, go find work that you can be obsessed with.
George Orwell, author of the classics 1984 and Animal Farm, warned prospective writers of the hazards of the profession in his essay “Why I Write.” He wrote, “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
-Ryan Holiday, Perennial Seller
