Quote From MurderOfCrows:
May I ask, how do you manage to stay motivated? Did you enjoy your PhD when you were in the process of completing it? One of the problems we consistently suffer from in this society is "anti-intellectualism." Employers do not want people who are academically intelligent; many degrees are pushed aside as "mickey mouse" courses (I blame the media for this); and, I personally believe there is a high degree of envy swirling around company's and organisations, particularly from the managers we are most likely more qualified than!
MoC
I enjoyed my PhD, though by the end of writing up I questioned whether I'd want to undertake such a large project again.
You say you enjoy writing. Me too (as possibly apparent given the length of this post). That helps a great deal. For me, writing up was the fun part; and I enjoyed editing and refining my thesis too. I know of others who found writing up a chore.
With regard to anti-intellectualism, the MD of the company I previously worked for openly stated that he'd "never promote anyone smarter than he was" (and he wasn't so smart). That doesn't mean I think PhDs are smarter than everyone else. I know too many smart people without advanced degrees to buy into any such notion. (In fact, given our current job opportunities those avaoiding higher education may be the smartest of all.)
At the same time, I've met a few people (though thankfully far from everyone) who have acted differently after I explained that I was studying for a PhD. It's as if I suddenly screamed "I think I'm smarter than you," when that's not what I think at all. Those people can take comfort in the knowledge that they'll probably get to retire, while I have serious doubts about my own prospects in this sense. I started my PhD soon after the recession hit; and at least I was guaranteed an income for three years.