Are You Still Writing?

It comes in many shapes and sizes, this question. Curiosity. Scorn. Skepticism. Genuine interest.

Are you still writing?

I have been asked this question more times than I could ever count. Many times from the same people...over and over and over. And my answer is always the same. Yes. Of course I'm still writing.

And yet the question keeps coming.

Some people are just curious. Are you still writing? Some people are less pleasant. Are you still writing? As if writing was the worst career anyone could ever choose to pursue.

But my answer will always be the same. Yes. Yes I am still writing.

Still, the question follows me everywhere I go. People don't understand, no matter how many times I tell them. So today, I'm going to help you understand.

Asking a writer if they are still writing is like asking a human if they are still breathing.

I have never understood the basis for this question. Do you think I would give up on my passion? Do you think it was just a passing fancy?

Are you still writing?

Let me explain something to you.

Writing is not my hobby. Writing is not my passion. Writing is my existence.

I don't write because it is just something that I enjoy. Do I enjoy it? Immensely. But that is not the point. I write because I have to. I cannot stop writing. It's a part of my very being.

So please, stop asking me if I am still writing. Ask me what I am writing.

And I will gladly tell you.