I was more interested in Joan Matterson's comment on the article than that of A L Kennedy, which was too flippant for my taste.

Ms Matterson suggests that 6or 7 years at 40 hours a week is how long it takes to practice to hone the craft of writing to a level at which the author can express him or herself. She refers to the 10,000 hour apprenticeship and that only sounds a lot because it is often one person working unsupervised, making their own way, whereas in another career they would be working their way steadily, day by day, week by week, up a ladder as they developed their skills, with acknowledgements from superiours, employers, customers enroute.

And what is the criterea for saying it's not worth it? Love of ideas, words, digging deep inside the subconscious, making sense of what's around, and what isn't, relationships, what ifs... How can extending the brain, mind, imagination, observation not be worth it?