Why can't writing be a hobby? I don't know. A lot of writers seem to think they have to get published or else their time was wasted. Is this a natural consequence of the depth of communication that writing embodies, the time it takes a reader to appreciate it? Other arts, like painting or singing or dancing, can be immediately experienced (at least on a superficial level) -- reading, even on a superficial level, requires a more substantial commitment.
With the proliferation of fiction and poetry sites on the web, including fan sites, including blogging, I think more people ARE growing content with writing as amateurs -- they can put their work out to the world and get readers and responses without paid publication. Watch this trend.
Still, there are those of us for whom only bound books in real bookstores will do. This is the validation we must have. Is it the same for other artists? Will they never rest until their paintings are in galleries, their feet on the stage of the Met? Is the drive for official recognition as important for them?
Another thing: Most people CAN write -- they know how to put words down on paper, learned it in school, have no great awe for the act. The graphic and plastic arts, music and dance, are more specialties, and most people find talent in them impressive. They could NEVER draw or sing or dance like that! But if they only had the TIME, they could turn out publishable work.
This is the truly annoying thing, that the average Joe doesn't appreciate the craft writing requires. But if you think about it, the average Joe also doesn't appreciate the craft of painting, is as happy with a black velvet bull fighter as with a Rembrandt -- or happier. And, you know what? You probably don't appreciate the intricacies of the plumbing or masonry or electrical work that Joe does. Or the lawyering or the doctoring or the nuclear sciencing.
Comes down to: We should all write like amateurs, lovers of the art. If we can't do this, if the Grail of publication is all that will make us happy, then are we really writers?
Does that reverse the popular judgment: You're not a real writer unless you're published? Good. It's supposed to.