No Money?…. Are You Really a Writer? Part 6 of 12
Welcome to all who are new, both here and one blogged. Feel free to add a comment anytime. Take a look at the first part to read the original email and the third for the follow up. Money is… well a great divider.
It doesn’t have to be. One commenter pointed out something great.Uninvoked, who has an awesome blog, pointed out that in many ways this emails does have points. They made out their case so logically I almost wished that I could think more, excellent points, and to take both emails, and make sense well that is great, and a strong point for a writer as well.
After reading their comment, and thinking hard about it, I’ve refined some of my views, more along the lines of dreamers versus writers. I still remain convinced that a writer is one who writes, I now can see that one who will talk and not write are not writers. You all know the ones, “I’m working on this great novel, it’s still in my head and I don’t have time to write.”
Doesn’t matter I don;t have much time to write, but I still do, and people who come here and comment don’t have much time to write, but they do. I think that sets us apart, we have made strides, great ones towards our goals. Money is a good thing, and never say no it, especially at the beginning, but there are so many other things that one can do to begin.
By the same token, those who want to write and do so only for love of money face an uphill battle. The small groups who need writers can only pay a small price, but it goes on a resume. The effect snowballs, and soon a good sense of a writer’s worth takes over, and they learn that writing is both creative and makes some money. It all depends on how hard you are willing to go after your career as a writer.
My Question for today is this: How much time are you willing to spend to make a go of your writing career? What are you willing to give up to get the money you need to keep at it?
6 Comments
Damaria Senne
I'm willing to give up career advancement up a corporate ladder to make a go at writing, and have declined job offers that would have paid me more money, so I could put in the time I need to build a writing career.
Molly
I gave up a lucrative career to become a stay at home mom. As the kids are getting older I'm realizing that I'm going to have to go back to work soon, but I decided to use this time to take a stab at writing that book that's been churning in my brain. Money is tight right now, but what's one more year in the grand scheme of things if I can give writing a shot?
Alissa
A little less than a year ago, I made a pretty big (and in many ways bold) career move leaving behind a safe (but low-paying) salaried job for a far riskier sales job not simply because there is the potential to make more money with the sales job, but because my schedule is now my own, and that means more time to spend writing.
Even if you can't change jobs, there are other ways to find more time. Give up television or watch a lot less of it. Carry a notebook with you and write during meals or work breaks. If you have downtime at work use it to write (as long as you won't get in trouble for doing it!) You don't necessarily have to make a lot of sacrifices, just be a lot wiser about how you use your time.
Catherine L. Tully
I do what it takes. Simple as that. If it takes six or seven days a week, that is what I give. Sometimes it takes only five. 🙂 In the beginning of my career I gave up better money to freelance, but now I'm making more than if I would have stuck w/ my other career in education.
Becky
Heh, does writing cost money? I hadn't really noticed. Seriously appart from a constant stream of pads, pens, printer paper and ink cartridges it's actually a cheap hobby.
I work fulltime. I write on the bus to work, in my breaks, on the bus home and in the evenings. I write on my days off. The thing I primarily sacrifice to writing is my spare time I guess – but I enjoy writing, so why wouldn't I? If I wasn't writing I'd be turning into a couch or mouse potato, and that truly pointless. I have no time for people who say they can't find time to write – there's always somewhere to find time.
The original emailer is certainly thinking of writers solely as people who write for a living. I still want to know if they think painters should only be called painters if they sell enough to make a living.
I doubt it.
Has this person never heard of hobbies? Most people have them, some people even make money at them (I have a friend who makes bead Jewellery for a hobby and sells it in an Etsy store, but it's not her primary source of income – she's still a beader though), a few people are lucky enough that their hobby becomes their source of income. Most writers – even published ones – are hobbyists in that it's not their primary income source and they do it mostly because they love it.
Most people who have a hobby that could potentially provide an income stream dream of being able to do it for a living. Writers are no exception.
So in one respect they are right – writers who don't make a living at writing are dreamers. But they are writers too – it's just that they write for a hobby, not a career, at this time.
jenniferneri
I am in a similar position to Molly. Being a full-time mom means that writing is a sole outlet. I wonder sometimes how my writing will be affected when I return to working outside the home, yet I know it is something that is an integral part of me that won't just go away.
How much time am I willing to commit until I succeed? As much as is necessary.