Too much caffeine. Otherwise I'd be sleeping. After a few tylenol PM, I managed to get to sleep.
I was talking to someone the other day about how important writing is. But we aren't really told how important until it is almost to late to learn. Had I known, I would have probably taken more classes that foster this skill. Maybe journalism or some such.
I never really enjoyed writing. It's a painful endeavor. And for the most part, especially in high school, I avoided. In one class we had to write a term paper. The grade was split into parts. One was an outline, the other was some index card thing, and the third was actually writing. I managed to get enouch credit to pass with my outline and index cards, so I never wrote the paper. Ok. Maybe it isn't the school. It's just me. I was a weird kid.
Roy Jacobsen1, by way of Ray Ward2 (where I found it), argues that if you can write, you will always have a job. I sometimes wonder whether good writing, or even exceptional writing, is enough. But then again, an exceptional writer is probably pretty damn smart, so exceptional (or even good) writers have that extra something. So long as they don't go kicking puppies in front of the clients, they will probably always have a job.
But writing only matters when it matters. In a volume (law) practice, does it really matter?
And who gets hired? The person or the paper?
Moving on. Have to keep the momentum going;3 keep on moving. Of course it's hard to keep the momentum, when you are getting in your own way.4 Try to be your own alpha dog and megalomaniac. Just keep calm.5 And persevere.6
Sometimes, all that isn't enough. At the very least make eye contact and smile.
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5. See 4
bruteforcelawyer.com 
Thanks for the link love.
That said, I’m not sure that I wrote that good writers will always have a job. What I said was that the ability to write well is change-proof.
It’s still up to you to sell your writing skills–along with whatever other skills you have–to a prospective employer.
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I don’t think what I said was that far off. A change-proof career is a steady one. What’s the point of an unobsoletable skill, if not to make sure that you keep your job.
But I see what you mean. I took your post past its intent.
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Dave,
No, not far off at all. But I’m wary of people buying in to the “build it and they will come” or “build a better mousetrap” mentality.
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