What do you do to support your writing?

I'm in an entry level position at the post office, which will eventually lead me into a career that has decent wages and fairly decent job security. At the entry level position, it sucks. 9-10 hour days working 6-7 days a week doing monotonous, meticulous work in crappy weather. It's barely May and we're dealing with 99 degree weather and no air conditioning, gah!

I brainstorm my writing during my lunch (which I insist on taking unlike many of my coworkers) and then write once my kid is asleep. I get about 5 hours of sleep a night and about 3 hours of writing. I'm tired (coma tired), but I'm miserable if I don't find some time to write. BTW, I tried waking up early this morning because I was too tired last night to write. God fucked me over and woke my kid up too. Damn.

If you want to write, you just have to find time to write. My husband hates how much time I spend writing, but I'm not going to stop because he wants me to watch a TV show with him or clean the house because he's too tired to do it (and I used to do it when I wasn't working).

Nothing.

I did once want a "career" while writing on the side, but I never figured out what appealed to me.

I happen to have a day job that challenges me and for many years, I have found it interesting, and yes, even fun at times.

In the last few years, though, I've been gradually coming to the realization that, not only do I produce nothing of value, my company produces nothing of real value.

I'm a financial analyst for the international credit processing branch of a large bank. We are the type of people who will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes, as Douglas Adams would say.

I want my work to mean more. I don't mean I'm going to run away to Africa and start a hospital or something. I've got no useful skills for that kind of thing, and I'm way too attached to my lattes, Netflix and central A/C. Not to be too morbid, but when I die, I want to leave something more behind than spreadsheets and SQL queries.

So, I'm looking to writing as my next career. I write every day now, and I'm working on my ideas and technique, but I don't expect to make any real money with it at this time. When my kids leave home, and my debts are paid off, my husband and I should be able to live a decent, but frugal lifestyle off of our savings, and writing will be my full time job.

meowzbark said:

I brainstorm my writing during my lunch (which I insist on taking unlike many of my coworkers) and then write once my kid is asleep. I get about 5 hours of sleep a night and about 3 hours of writing. I'm tired (coma tired), but I'm miserable if I don't find some time to write. BTW, I tried waking up early this morning because I was too tired last night to write. God fucked me over and woke my kid up too. Damn.

If you want to write, you just have to find time to write. My husband hates how much time I spend writing, but I'm not going to stop because he wants me to watch a TV show with him or clean the house because he's too tired to do it (and I used to do it when I wasn't working).

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The thing about just having to find time to write is that's not quite accurate. You don't find time or lose time; you make time. Though it may seem there's never enough time, it's really a matter of scheduling time to write.

It's not always easy and particularly so when Mom has a child to care for (and a hubby too who wants you to watch Survivor with him or vacuum the carpet), but you have to strike that balance between following your muse and the rest of your life. You may not always be able to allocate your time equally between both, but you should certainly try to.

Oldborne said:

That's very true, and I certainly do find the time - I just want more of it. The job I'm in (edit assistant in TV post-production) is much the same as yours; a single step up from the entry role for people utterly devoted to my industry. Which I was, until I realised I'm actually not. And I'm much more devoted to writing than anything else.

I suppose then I wonder what people do as their day jobs, to fund a career in writing. As opposed to having a career as well as writing.

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When I worked nights for seven years, I slept in the morning and wrote in the afternoon and evening until it was time to go back to work (and if it was a slow night I'd write there too).

However, weariness of working "the vampire hours" as I called them and other issues prompted me to make a job change to normal 8-to-5 hours, so now I rise at a time where I would be coming home to sleep. Much better for my health and being able to remember what day it is. I've worked in I.T. for a long time because I realized quickly neither full-time journalism nor part-time freelancing was going to pay the bills.

I.T. fills my wallet. Writing feeds my soul. What I do is not who I am. What I write is who I am. That's how I make it work for me.

For much of my writing life I was a conveyancing paralegal. It's mentally and physically taxing with long hours. I found I was wiped out when I got home so I did what worked for me - I got up at 4:30am and wrote until I had to get ready for work, feed the family etc. But I'm a morning person, so, hey, I could do it.

To support my writing (and my family), I...write. Actually, it's a mix of editing and writing with a bit of graphic design thrown in to feed the other half of my brain. It's very different from writing fiction, though.

I worked in several corporate jobs and liked some aspects of them, but ultimately I'm much happier working for myself. The pay isn't nearly as good, benefits are nonexistent, and I never know what the finances are going to be month to month. On the plus side, i can take a weekend in the middle of the week if I need to.

Operations support at a bank.

Woo.

I sometimes work as a slush editor, but this really isn't to support my writing, it's to stay in touch with the other side of the desk. I also make some money from finding and selling first editions, and, at times, other specific collectibles, but this isn't to support my writing, either, it's for pure fun. I don't usually earn enough from any of these things to make minimum wage.

I love doing many things besides writing, and if I'm going to do them, I may as well be paid for it.

On the other hand, I do have a writer friend who supports his writing fully this way, so it can be done, if you have the knowledge.

Oldborne said:

Sorry if a question like this has been posted, and if someone can point me in the direction of an existing thread that'd be swell.

Anyway: jobs!

I hate mine. It leaves me physically, mentally and emotionally drained. I get paid less than London living wage which I'm pretty sure isn't even legal. I work night shifts, late shifts, early shifts and even shittier shifts. But it's considered a 'desirable job', so they can get away with treating you like crap.

Anyway – this job doesn't particularly nurture one's creative side. Nor does it leave much time/ energy for actual writing. And, really, writing is literally all I want to do. I just want to write novels.

So, what do all of you do to fund your writing? What's your day job? What sort of a job will compliment writing? I'd like to see how other people manage it.

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People need to do what they need to do to get by. I get that, but I've always tried to have jobs that will better me as a person and a writer. You can do that. I've worked as a journalist and for a book publisher, but I've also tended bar and made beds in a hotel. My writing is a lot richer from it all. If what you really want to do is write novels, I hope that is what you are doing regardless of the other things you are doing.

nighttimer said:

The thing about just having to find time to write is that's not quite accurate. You don't find time or lose time; you make time. Though it may seem there's never enough time, it's really a matter of scheduling time to write.

It's not always easy and particularly so when Mom has a child to care for (and a hubby too who wants you to watch Survivor with him or vacuum the carpet), but you have to strike that balance between following your muse and the rest of your life. You may not always be able to allocate your time equally between both, but you should certainly try to.

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I also found that I'm much more motivated to write when I don't have the time to write. When I was unemployed, I wasted a lot of free time. /sigh

I home educate three children. It does allow me to pick my hours most of the time but it is also full on. My writing is an escape from the real world so I couldn't imagine any job would impact on that -- I have to write or I won't sleep.

But I've had some crappy jobs (barmaid, factory work, carer for the elderly (it was the care home not the elderly that was crap), designer clothes shop, waitress) and the only job I really hated was cold calling double glazing sales. All of it has fed into my writing. I've nearly always enjoyed the job enough to do extra -- I got the sack from the care home for spending too much time (on my days off) with the older people, doing things like cleaning their rooms properly etc

Im just getting into the writing thing on a serious level so its not been a problem,as of yet,for me. I use to work as a trim carpenter until my MS forced me out of the trade. Things were getting rough for me, i began having more and more frequent 'episodes' that were lasting longer than what had been the norm(normal for me,anyway).
Now i work in a vape store, Im a build pro. Its less money but i have a good time most days. I get new people set up with equipment that will suit their needs not just for now but for a while without gouging them and breaking the bank.
Our philosophy is our job isnt to sell you the most expensive stuff in the store but to find you the set up that best suits your needs. Usually i can get someone up and running,with a respectable starting rig for right around the cost of a carton of cigarettes. (Give or take)
I correct misinformation, i straighten out equipment bought at other stores, i teach people how to use equipment safely and i help folks get away from conventional tobacco. and i seem to do it fairly well. I actually get about 60-70$/week in tips. What retail, non service position gets tips?

In my job i have to keep up on the market and new product information. I think that might help me with researching for writing. And we do sometimes have slow periods in the day that has been giving me opportunity to make notes and start preparing and outline.

Pony. said:

Im just getting into the writing thing on a serious level so its not been a problem,as of yet,for me. I use to work as a trim carpenter until my MS forced me out of the trade..

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I'm sorry to hear that. I have ME (not the same but with huge similarities) - it's why I never made it as an archaeologist/forensic anthropologist like I wanted to.

Strangely, I wouldn't be a writer without my ME. It stopped me being able to read for a time and I think all the stories I put in my head needed a way to be processed and I started writing.

Usher said:

I'm sorry to hear that. I have ME (not the same but with huge similarities) - it's why I never made it as an archaeologist/forensic anthropologist like I wanted to.

Strangely, I wouldn't be a writer without my ME. It stopped me being able to read for a time and I think all the stories I put in my head needed a way to be processed and I started writing.

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Granted id rather be working in the building trades but i since i left that job i haven't had an episode in over a year where i had three that last winter i was on the job sites.so its not all bad and things seem to be under control for the time being.

I seem to be in the happy minority here. I actually love my day job. I sell and market books to trade customers for wholesaler. I mostly focus on Children's books and gift titles, so I spend a good portion of my day flipping through picture books.

Life could be worse.

I'm an evil government worker. I work for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet--the Department of Highways specifically. I oversee permits for billboards, junkyards, coal haul roads and send out legal notices for various right-of-way issues. So if you live in Kentucky and see me coming, watch out!

Oldborne said:

Thanks everyone for your replies, lots to think about here.

Following a particularly shitty night-shift last night, I'm very much looking to pursue a different job. Gettingby makes a good point about finding jobs to build your character. I think I'll probably look for something like that.

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It sounds like you already have the perfect job for building character. Character is not built by doing things you enjoy, it's built by how you handle thing you hate, and don't want to do. Have you read about Stephen King's job experience? Particularly his work in a laundry?

This work led directly to his first short story sales.

Anyone can do a job they enjoy, but doing so does not build character. You build character by handling the hard times life throws at you without complaint.

heres one reason i enjoy my job:
a regular ouf ours came in on the verge of tears. all her batteries were dead,her chargers werent working and she was frazzled.
first we calmed her down, took a few minutes to figure out what was wrong and a few more to show her. we had her bark up an running in about 15 minutes and feeling much better and turned her whole day around.

I'm an editor. Editor and coder and such, working for a set of newspapers and the associated websites. And most of the time, I actually like it. Only drawback is my fiction now sounds like news articles.

I'm a paramedic. I love my job, but it's demanding and the schedule isn't conducive to writing. I'm gonna be moving on to something else soon, which will leave even less time for writing or having a life.

Jamesaritchie said:

It sounds like you already have the perfect job for building character. Character is not built by doing things you enjoy, it's built by how you handle thing you hate, and don't want to do. Have you read about Stephen King's job experience? Particularly his work in a laundry?

This work led directly to his first short story sales.

Anyone can do a job they enjoy, but doing so does not build character. You build character by handling the hard times life throws at you without complaint.

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Jamesaritchie said:

... Have you read about Stephen King's job experience? Particularly his work in a laundry?

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Really? We're counting jobs while attending the University? Doesn't everybody hate those?

Poor fellow. Didn't sell Carrie until age 26. All those years of suffering. But good to hear he handled it well.

How many years of having a job you hate equal story-sale success? I'm wondering if I caved too early for the sake of my stupid sanity and financial stability or whatever bullshit and totally doomed myself...?