Writing For a Living: When a Backup Plan is Needed
Writers who want to write and be successful really want one or two things: to be able to write what they love and to do it for a living. This is a great goal and one which needs to be encouraged, but at the same time, it is a goal that takes a lot of time to get to– this writing for a living.
Still, when you do achieve this goal, most people are excited about it, as they begin to believe that their writing is worth it. Then again, there are times when writing for a living does not quite make the bills. That is when it gets harder, when you need one more thing in your work life a backup plan.
By this I am not suggesting that you should not live your dreams, but be a little bit realistic with what bills you have what debt your are facing (hopefully none!) and what you can accomplish as a writer each day. We all are writers but we also have other parts to our lives. Writing is one major aspect not it is not everything.
Below are three great backup plans which most, if not all writers should use as part of their writing and business plans.
1) Have a savings: this is where math comes into play but really it is quite simple, get a saving account and each month figure out what 10% of your net writing total you made and put it in the saving account. This can be done by putting some money into an envelope and going to the bank with it, where you deposit in into a savings account, or it can be automatic transfers. The important thing is to put a bit away for the leaner months when there is not much money from your writing.
2) If things get harder work part-time: This does not mean you work as many hours you can, and then leave your writing be, it simply means that a weekend job is not something that you should not consider even for a few months. Sometimes being outside of your writing environment will give you a needed creative spark to improve your writing.
3) Know how long things will take: If you finished your book and got an advance, understand what your expenses are and stick to a budget of where you are now, since that advance should last you, the writer, for at least a few months.
There are of course more ideas which you can do, but these three seem to be the best for a quick short term fix, but the most important thing is that other than #1 on this list, the others you can come up with should be short term fixes as we all want to be writing for a living.
