'They expect to have a nice time': Author Danielle Steel says millennials are too busy having fun to work hard for future success Danielle Steel says millennials' interest in having 'experiences' stops hard work The 71-year-old author said her own generation sacrificed happiness for a career She said people burning themselves out through work was ‘millennial affliction’By Kelly Allen For The Daily Mail Published: 23:59 BST, 14 May 2019 | Updated: 00:00 BST, 15 May 2019 Viewcomments Novelist Danielle Steel says members of the millennial generation have no idea about hard work because they are too occupied with having fun. She says their interest in having ‘experiences’ stops them from putting in the effort needed for success. Mrs Steel, 71, has published 179 books, mainly romances, releasing up to seven per year. With 650million books sold, she is the bestselling author alive. Novelist Danielle Steel says members of the millennial generation have no idea about hard work because they are too occupied with having fun She believes her own generation felt they had to sacrifice happiness in their early careers to win comfort later – but that’s not the millennial way. ‘They expect to have a nice time,’ she said. ‘And pardon me, but I think your 20s and a good part of your 30s are about working hard so that you have a better quality of life later on.’ The idea that young people were burning themselves out through hard work was a ‘millennial affliction’, she told Glamour magazine, A mother-of-nine, she recalled one of her sons telling her that he refused to stay at the office beyond a certain time to preserve his work-life balance. She said this was never an option for her. ‘I never expected that quality of life at 25. I had three jobs at the same time, and after work I wrote. Now it’s a promise that it’s all going to be fun.’ In a blog post about her children she noted that four were ‘working hard’. A mother-of-nine, she recalled one of her sons telling her that he refused to stay at the office beyond a certain time to preserve his work-life balance Mrs Steel once said that she wrote for 20 to 22 hours every day in her home office, even doing 24-hour sessions a few times a month ‘when I feel the crunch’. On her office wall, by the bespoke desk designed to resemble a stack of her gold-embossed books, is a sign that declares: ‘There are no miracles. There is only discipline.’ She revealed how she was shocked by current office life when she was taken on a tour of Amazon’s headquarters by the company’s founder, Jeff Bezos. She was particularly astonished to learn that staff were allowed to drink beer, play video games and eat free food. She said: ‘There’s a flood of bright young people there, but they’re telling them, “This is a family, this is fun, you can bring your dog to work”. ‘I mean, how do you focus with a dog there? I left with flea bites on my leg!’ Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility