Aspirational Emotion Work: Calling, Emotional Capital, and Becoming a “Real” Writer

Abstract

Drawing on a seven-year ethnography, we illuminate how unpublished romance writers employed emotional capital to negotiate the competitive publishing industry. To legitimate themselves as “real” writers, aspirants constructed occupational calling narratives, which they then drew upon to manage their emotions when publication was elusive. We call this process “aspirational emotion work” to illustrate how writers made use of their emotional capital to manage their feelings and sustain their identities without knowing if they would realize their dreams. We posit that aspirational emotion work is particularly prevalent among those seeking work in the creative industries, where potential for self-actualization is high but opportunity for secure employment is low.