No Money?…. Are You Really a Writer? Part 8 of 12

It seems that now that I’m writing about money, I find things about money. I suspect someone will tell me that it’s the law of attraction, but I’m not sure. There are a number of things coming my way. Welcome to all who are new, feel free to lend your voice to this series, and beyond. To my favourite regulars, welcome back, no, I haven’t forgotten about you.

I went to the library yesterday, mostly to do some editing but also to do some research into my book. I’m not liking the” low key” aspect to it, so as Hemingway once said I can’t get the words right, yet. Fortunately, for me this money issue isn’t a big thing or I’d have an ulcer by now. Delays and slowness, and general mistakes (on my part sometimes….) make it hard to get it to where I want it to be.

Then I found it, a book on how to make money as a writer. Okay, now most often, I don’t look at these books, as I don’t like the premise of some of them. This one caught my eye, how to make money as a freelancer, but the best was when I picked it up and flipped through it. It appeared this author did her homework. What as a person just starting out in the writing business can expect. What as a person going beyond a hobby can expect, as person about to step into the freelance world and as a freelancer in their own right can expect.

She writes about time commitments, money commitments, and the balance of writing and family. Of course the deeper you get into something like this the more time you need and the more paying commitments you need to make. She points out the fine art of saying “no” to non-paying work after a while, as everyone does reach that point.

What struck me was by flipping through this book, I got a view of what it takes to work on your writing. A desk, a stapler, envelopes, and of course paper and pens are all a part of the writers job. It takes time, courage, and time to make it as a writer.

Wherever the starting point, this was a good book to flip through, but I doubt you’ll find it anywhere but in the library as it is published in the early 1980s. Still, interesting and enlightening. What we need to do as writers is plan both our life around writing and our money around writing. The biggest thing I got out of this book is that you need passion to write. The second thing is integrity in your writing; never ever ever say something you are not. Oh, and don’t quit your day job unless you know it’s safe to do so.

My Question for today is this: What plans do you have for both your life and your writing life? Do you want to bring it to the next level or just be content with what you have?