Monday, September 5, 2016

Celebrated by Americans since 1884

By Kimberly Jayne

"All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day... is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
~ Samuel Gompers
Founder of the American Federation of Labor

Happy Labor Day! It's not just for traditional American workers — those 8-to-5'ers who bring home a regular paycheck and enjoy the benefits of paid vacations, sick days, and coworker relationships. It's for everyone who works hard at their craft too, alone in their struggle, like writers.
I always wonder if the broadest section of society that does not write books understands the labor that goes into it. Countless people remark, when they learn I'm a writer, that they could or want to write a book too. Or they offer me a great idea for a book, which is not such a good idea because it's something that doesn't fit me; it fits them.
The truth is most people will never write a book. I think on some level, they must have an inkling of the time, energy, persistence, dedication, and honed talent it takes to finish a project of that size and scope. And for most writers, the ROI for our hard work is abysmal. It truly is a labor of love.
I think we all have a book within us — certainly, we all have stories within us. But it's those who do the work, who push beyond the self-doubt, who churn out the paragraphs and pages and plots that make magical worlds come to life inside the reader, who can be most proud of their achievements.
This holiday weekend alone, I've written about 2,500 words, which is hard to accomplish during the regular work week where I am a writer and editor for a trade publication and where I enjoy all the perks of more "traditional" workers. 
So to all you writers out there who toil in the spare hours of your day, the weekend warriors who fast-write while they have free time away from the J.O.B., those who overcome the obstacles and blast through the blocks, and those midnight-oil-burners who punch those keys long after everyone else is asleep, I celebrate you! I hope you're celebrating your successes on this Labor Day too. 
________________ 
Kimberly Jayne writes in multiple genres including humor, romantic comedy, suspense, erotica, and dark fantasy. Her latest foray into a dark fantasy released in episodes is as much an adventure as the writing itself. You can check her out on AmazonFind out more about her at ReadKimberly.

Books by Kimberly Jayne:


Take My Husband, Please! A Romantic Comedy
Watch for Episode 4, coming soon!

2 comments:

  1. Enjoyed your post, Kimberly! Saying the ROI is abysmal is spot-on financially, but I get other rewards. At a Book Talk at a senior apartment community, one reader who has read my romance books had a side conversation with me about the theme of alcoholism and recovery in the books. She thanked me for focusing on recovery and for giving information about how 12-step programs can work for individuals and loved ones. She said she'd learned so much about a topic that is often talked about but not much understood by people she knows. Conversations like that make it all worthwhile to me! (Bonus: she bought another book :-) --kate

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, you are right. The rewards are not fully financial--not yet anyway! Glad you're finding rewards other than monetary. Like most writers, the real rewards for me come via meaningful interactions with readers and the fact that I love the process. Writing is like air sometimes--I have to do it to feel like I'm being true to myself. And, hey, I tried to quit, but I couldn't! (Glad you sold another book!)

    ReplyDelete

This is a comment awaiting moderation on the blog.