I suppose I should first say that I don't really have a creative writing career. Not yet. I wrote one book and placed it with an agent. It hasn't been sold to a publisher yet (although it's on review by a few). I have written a second book and am currently editing it. I am in the planning stages for two other novels. I have a ton of ideas, and I love writing fiction, but obviously it doesn't pay the bills.
Recently, I got a good free-lance writing/editing gig. It's better than the day-job I had since it gives me a lot more free time to focus on my studies (I'm in graduate school). The writing isn't too challenging, but it is time consuming. I write for text books mostly, sometimes for manuals, and occasionally for large research grants that require statistical analysis. While 75% of the writing is in my domain of expertise, it still requires some research, and a great deal of concentration. I am not complaining, it's good work and precisely what I wanted. (I also started doing a bit of SEO for some extra cash, but I don't know that I'll keep up with it).
Anyway - I find that I have only so many writing hours in me. At the end of the day, there isn't much left in me for fiction. It's not about time (I finally have the time), it's just that after I spend 6 hours writing for school and work, I can't concentrate enough to write fiction (or anything else, for that matter).
So, this is mostly a rant, but I would also love to hear your ideas about how to make this work. I don't want to give up on fiction, even if it doesn't pay to do it (yet).
Recently, I got a good free-lance writing/editing gig. It's better than the day-job I had since it gives me a lot more free time to focus on my studies (I'm in graduate school). The writing isn't too challenging, but it is time consuming. I write for text books mostly, sometimes for manuals, and occasionally for large research grants that require statistical analysis. While 75% of the writing is in my domain of expertise, it still requires some research, and a great deal of concentration. I am not complaining, it's good work and precisely what I wanted. (I also started doing a bit of SEO for some extra cash, but I don't know that I'll keep up with it).
Anyway - I find that I have only so many writing hours in me. At the end of the day, there isn't much left in me for fiction. It's not about time (I finally have the time), it's just that after I spend 6 hours writing for school and work, I can't concentrate enough to write fiction (or anything else, for that matter).
So, this is mostly a rant, but I would also love to hear your ideas about how to make this work. I don't want to give up on fiction, even if it doesn't pay to do it (yet).