Writing is solitary work, and for the most part, I think we like it that way. But sometimes it’s nice to get a little refresher that you are not alone, and that writing is hard–and you’re not the only one who feels that way. Here are a few quotes from writers to help you commiserate, and perhaps to convince others that even if it doesn’t seem like hard work, it definitely is.

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of 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.” — George Orwell

“Writing is thinking. That’s why it’s so difficult.” — F.R. Katz

“If I’m trying to sleep, the ideas won’t stop. If I’m trying to write, there appears a barren nothingness.” — Carrie Latet

“Every writer I know has trouble writing.” — Joseph Heller

“I do not like to write – I like to have written.” — Gloria Steinem

“Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” — Gene Fowler

“A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” — Thomas Mann

“Loafing is the most productive part of a writer’s life.” — James Normal Hall
[This is what I use to convince my parents that laying around listening to music is writing. :)]

The people who love us may never totally understand what being a writer is like. But sometimes showing them that others feel the same might convince them that we’re not total freaks… or at least get them to stop suggesting medication.