Should Writers Go on Vacation?

Writing is an interesting profession in the sense that you don’t actually need to be anywhere to get your work done. You don’t need to go into an office, or clock in, or show up — You just do it.

For me personally, most of my writing gets done in the before or after-hours of a traditional work schedule.

I typically write most of my articles early on in the morning or during late hours of the night, well past midnight.

Most of the time, it’s at home in the comfort of my kitchen, but other times, it’s actually while I’m on-the-go, in transit to somewhere else.

I mean, what’s better for passing time than doing something that you love?

So, this is what leads me to an interesting question that surprisingly hadn’t crossed my mind before.

Should Writers go on vacation?

Again, unlike a more traditional office job, as a Writer you are not given a fixed amount of work hours, or personal vacation days, sick days, bereavement days, etc.

As a Writer, you create your own schedule. You set your own hours and call your own shots.

Writing is a continuous job. It’s a fluid process where there is really no beginning or end. You don’t leave or clock out. You kind of just pick up where you left off.

And even though an article is finished, you aren’t necessarily finished with the topic that you’re writing about.

I often write about the same topics over and over again, just with different observations, arguments, and angles.

Most of the things that I write about are things that are almost always on my mind.

They are topics that I’m the most passionate about — which is how I got so good at writing about those specific topics and how I became a top Writer here on Medium.

It was a method of practice, passion, and consistency.

In my opinion, writers never really “go on vacation”.

I say this because I recently went on a little weekend-getaway with my boyfriend. We left the city to go to Vermont for a few days.

However, even while on vacation, I kept checking my Medium stats, reading and responding to comments, and brainstorming for my next article topics.

I didn’t physically do any writing while I was away, but the thought behind it was there.

And it wasn’t the entire time that I was thinking about writing — It was just in those pockets of downtime when we were relaxing after a hike or getting ready for bed.

Of all people, I know that my boyfriend can relate because he’s a Musician and he himself was getting texts about upcoming gigs while we were on vacation as well (That made me feel a little better about checking my writing stuff).

With writing, as I mentioned before and in other past articles I have written, it’s a never-ending process.

We can take vacations, but never really get away.

That’s because our work surrounds us anywhere we go — We can constantly grab inspiration from people, places, and things. There is always a story lurking in the background.

And I guess that’s also the beauty about writing. It’s why I love it so much — It can be done anywhere.

I suppose this can be related to my love for running as well and why the two go so hand-in-hand.

With writing, all I need is a pen and paper (or my laptop). With running, all I need are my running shoes (and running clothes).

I can do these things even while I’m on vacation. There is nothing really holding me back from either.