Stop working and start writing

So this thing on twitter how you should stop working and focus solely on your writing amused me. Because we all know some famous authors before they became famous who worked while they wrote. I think it has something to do with being able to actually live. I don’t know. It is a theory.

If you can become a full-time writer and do things like eat, then I am all for it. I’d love that myself. But not all of us are that position. And that isn’t wrong.

I say go for it and also stop:

• eating
• paying your bills
• having a roof over your head
• Any money to do anything

And remember you can also sell

• Sell your laptop to eat
• Sell your soul to pay your bills
• sell your house to fund your writing and live in a new house you made out of rejection letters
• Your tears. Writer tears are precious.

But remember you can always:

• Become famous, like now, like Right now. Before bills are due.
• Have a spouse who makes loads of money. Or find someone who makes loads of money to date. So that you can live off of them. Who cares about the stats it takes two full-time workers to pay bills these days? I mean, your spouse can work five jobs… easy peasy.
• Have no children. Those cost money. Like a lot. And not spending money for their survival is really frowned upon. I have chosen this option, accidently, but let’s say it is so I can afford an editor. Which I can’t so that is flawed.
• Don’t have pets. Those furballs are expensive. But the snuggle factor cannot be underestimated.
• Just don’t pay your bills. I mean, who really cares about your credit score anyway… or eviction notices? Hard to say. Who really knows, eh?

Goals can be achieved at the same time

• No one said you have to have One passion and One only. Maybe you really are into your job and love your career and are also a writer. That happens. Never to me, but it happens. Like unicorns. Rare, but we are sure they must exist because they are so pretty. Actually, having a career you enjoy is an awesome thing. So go for it.
• One can work and write. I have done it for years and years. Slowly honing my craft. Slowly, every so infinitely, slowly honing my craft. Anyway, if you go this option seriously consider not becoming chronically ill because all three is really difficult to maintain. One is difficult to maintain.
• But if you can afford to, go for it. I know no one that can, but if you can… go all in.
• Or, again if you can afford to, take an unpaid for leave of absence from work to pursue your writing. People do that sometimes when they have saved enough and why not? I just do not recommend living off credit to do so, because, man, that is a very bad idea.
• And maybe your spouse does make a good income and wants you to follow your dreams and you may be more frugal and pull it off. That is also a choice.
• Or maybe you might consider working, but lowering your hours, flex work, or going down to part-time. Which is a feasible compromise in some cases.
• Or start freelancing and when that income becomes sufficient quit working and be a writer… of many things and in different ways while you write your books.
• Or, or, or… whatever literally works for you. It is your journey, man.

I say just make time for your writing. Maybe early in the morning or way into the night. Or on your lunch break. Or after everyone has gone to sleep and you can have some goddamned peace and quiet for once. Or participate in NaNoWriMo which forces a daily regular writing habit to achieve the 50k in a month… that helps. But just remember famous peoples didn’t start off famous. They had jobs. Some crappy jobs. Some good jobs. And they made it anyway. There is no one path to success. And some published writers do not make enough to live off of, so remember that. Your first book deal isn’t going to have you rolling in the money, or so I hear. So there is nothing wrong with working and also writing.

What matters is writing, in any way you can, on any path you choose. None of them are wrong as long as you have enough money to basically sustain yourself. We can exist on little money but we still have to be careful about it, budget, be frugal and take out some of the things we used to do. I did that when from being chronically ill. Went from full-time career to part-time job… and it changes how you think about money when you used to have two full-time incomes. And the debt to show it. So it was hard. And still have that debt to pay. And now I am on long-term leave due to a vestibular disorder and it is even harder. I wouldn’t want someone to go through the stress of financial instability for their writing. Not unless, again, it is sustainable and you really budget well. But there are options. It just isn’t wrong to work and write. Sometimes we actually need money to sustain ourselves while we chase our other goals.

Anyway, I am a disabled writer. I am on leave and make very, very little money. And it is very difficult. I would much rather be working, part-time due to the pain, but working, to have an income. A stable income. Fighting to pay bills? Not fun, man. Not fun. I don’t recommend it. And there are a lot of people who work and chase other goals, passions, and dreams. It is the norm. And should never be mocked.

See other randomness:

How to be a really, real writer
The disabled writer
Creativity and depression