In the film The Tenants (2005), which is based on Bernard Malamud's novel of the same title, Willie confessed to Lesser, "Man, I tell you, this writing stuff is no joke." And in terms of the life of a writer, Willie said, "Baby, it's a long, hard, lonely life."
John Logan, the prolific screenwriter, agreed with Willie. In the Los Angeles Times piece "Duos of ‘Genius’: A. Scott Berg and John Logan [...]" (June 3, 2016), Logan related that making art (e.g., writing) is "arduous" (i.e., writing requires strenuous effort and it can be difficult and tiring). Logan said,
You know what — it is really arduous to make art. It is work. It doesn’t magically happen. Those writers who say, oh you know I wait and inspiration strikes, and magically a perfect sonnet will come. I’m like, you’re lying. That’s not how Wordsworth wrote, that’s not how Keats wrote, that’s not how anyone worked.
And I would add that writing about a topic that you're passionate about is a good way to overcome the arduous nature of writing and stay driven and stimulated.
