Thank you for this! If you don’t mind me asking, how were you able to do this? I’m an MFA student at the moment and would love to have a full-time career as an author. It can be discouraging because everywhere I look someone is confirming that this isn’t possible, that I will need to teach or find a “real job” to support me and that idea…
Thank you for this! If you don’t mind me asking, how were you able to do this? I’m an MFA student at the moment and would love to have a full-time career as an author. It can be discouraging because everywhere I look someone is confirming that this isn’t possible, that I will need to teach or find a “real job” to support me and that idea makes me feel dead inside. Thank you for offering a beacon of hope💜
If I can butt in here--the secret is to either live where it is very cheap and/or get a "real job" that doesn't make you feel dead inside. They exist! Writing can be your full time job, but it doesn't come with a regular paycheck, so you have to figure that part out until advances/royalties feel like a paycheck. That might be a long time, but you use that time to full yourself with things that aid writing, not take away from it. Jobs, experiences, places, people. Look at it as an opportunity to learn.
I agree with Kate. And I’d add that the “real job” may in fact be a combination of jobs, some writing adjacent, some not. Most writers I know teach (even if it’s not on a career track). I also book coach, edit, freelance; at times I’ve ghostwritten and been paid to write tv pilots; I’ve also received many grants over the years. Other writers I know work pt or temporary jobs that have nothing to do with writing but allow them hours or entire seasons when they can write. I know authors who are fishermen, lawyers, outdoor guides. So none of this suggests that one can easily write full time, forever, and do nothing else. But if one gets lucky, there may be times when one does nothing else. It’s possible. (Also as Kate said: create a low cost lifestyle—that’s a big part.)
Thank you for this! If you don’t mind me asking, how were you able to do this? I’m an MFA student at the moment and would love to have a full-time career as an author. It can be discouraging because everywhere I look someone is confirming that this isn’t possible, that I will need to teach or find a “real job” to support me and that idea makes me feel dead inside. Thank you for offering a beacon of hope💜
If I can butt in here--the secret is to either live where it is very cheap and/or get a "real job" that doesn't make you feel dead inside. They exist! Writing can be your full time job, but it doesn't come with a regular paycheck, so you have to figure that part out until advances/royalties feel like a paycheck. That might be a long time, but you use that time to full yourself with things that aid writing, not take away from it. Jobs, experiences, places, people. Look at it as an opportunity to learn.
I agree with Kate. And I’d add that the “real job” may in fact be a combination of jobs, some writing adjacent, some not. Most writers I know teach (even if it’s not on a career track). I also book coach, edit, freelance; at times I’ve ghostwritten and been paid to write tv pilots; I’ve also received many grants over the years. Other writers I know work pt or temporary jobs that have nothing to do with writing but allow them hours or entire seasons when they can write. I know authors who are fishermen, lawyers, outdoor guides. So none of this suggests that one can easily write full time, forever, and do nothing else. But if one gets lucky, there may be times when one does nothing else. It’s possible. (Also as Kate said: create a low cost lifestyle—that’s a big part.)
Thanks!