You feel most like an impoverished writer when....

Scariest response I had was when I told someone I wanted to be a writer, and he then asked me if I would write up his experiences with his divorce, how he hated his ex wife and wished she was dead... Really freaked me out.

The only other person I remember telling is a colleague at work, who, unlike me, studied English at university. I got a kind of 'so what makes you think you can do that, then?' sort of look, and she said 'oh well, I suppose it's a good hobby'.

I've decided I don't care any more. I want to be a writer. If other people don't think that's a valid enough career choice, that's their problem. I don't have any dependants and so long as I've enough to feed myself and live reasonably well, why shouldn't I go for something I want?

They want to know where all the big money is. This, while I'm counting plastic bottles to take to reclaimation for the cost of paper and ink cartridges.

Tri

You feel most like an impoverished writer when....

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I don't simply because writing isn't my profession.

I've decided I don't care any more. I want to be a writer. If other people don't think that's a valid enough career choice, that's their problem. I don't have any dependants and so long as I've enough to feed myself and live reasonably well, why shouldn't I go for something I want?

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I admire the ambition, but so very few writers make a decent living off their works that I don't inspire to become a professional. Why take a major cut in pay for vanity?

I'm just fine with my salary. I can write as a hobby and if published the extra $5000 for a novel is half my monthly income. Pocket change.

I write for art, not money so I don't worry if I never sell a piece of work in my life time.

Just saying. Don't kill me.

SpookyWriter said:

I don't simply because writing isn't my profession.



I admire the ambition, but so very few writers make a decent living off their works that I don't inspire to become a professional. Why take a major cut in pay for vanity?

I'm just fine with my salary. I can write as a hobby and if published the extra $5000 for a novel is half my monthly income. Pocket change.

I write for art, not money so I don't worry if I never sell a piece of work in my life time.

Just saying. Don't kill me.

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Who says I'm taking a major cut in pay? My job pays well and doesn't interfere with my writing time (I took it up initially to pay my way through the law degree). I'm also not talking about writing for money and I stand by the assertion that it's possible to want publication but not to be under the idea that you'll make millions from it. But people around me seem to think that I should be aiming for marriage or a family or some long, steady career that never changes, and to be honest, I don't want that. Only thing I really, really want is to see something of mine in print and to have people read it. Everything else in life, I'll take as it comes. I might be the crappiest writer in the world and I might be throwing away my life on this ambition, but it's not like I'm hurting anyone. I'm happy to carry on just doing work that pays well and feeds me, and to aim towards being a writer.

tomothecat said:

I don't think writing for a profession is vanity at all. And if you're fortunate enough to have a well-paying job and your writing advances are pocket change, more power to you.

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The only reason I have a good paying job is because of my sacrifices to attend college, and many years practicing at my craft.

I'm not much different than the professional writer who makes a decent income because we worked hard to get where we are in our careers. But the differences between wishing to become a writer and success is the amount of effort, talent, and luck getting published for a small penance the value of effort to produce the work.

As applies to musicians, painters, poets, and all artisans.

JessRamage said:

Who says I'm taking a major cut in pay? My job pays well and doesn't interfere with my writing time (I took it up initially to pay my way through the law degree). I'm also not talking about writing for money and I stand by the assertion that it's possible to want publication but not to be under the idea that you'll make millions from it. But people around me seem to think that I should be aiming for marriage or a family or some long, steady career that never changes, and to be honest, I don't want that. Only thing I really, really want is to see something of mine in print and to have people read it. Everything else in life, I'll take as it comes. I might be the crappiest writer in the world and I might be throwing away my life on this ambition, but it's not like I'm hurting anyone. I'm happy to carry on just doing work that pays well and feeds me, and to aim toward being a writer.

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Reality sucks. If you've completed a professional education and weigh the benefits of writing compared to your chosen profession then I suspect one is more worthy of a continued income than the other.

Art is art. Writers who make money begin like all apprentice professions. But mid-life or aspiring writers are in for challenging experiences with income unless they are exceptionally talented.

I've critiqued writers for over twenty years. Believe me. 1 in a 1000, if that, are acclaimed to a living as a professional writer.

SpookyWriter said:

Reality sucks. If you've completed a professional education and weigh the benefits of writing compared to your chosen profession then I suspect one is more worthy of a continued income than the other.

Art is art. Writers who make money begin like all apprentice professions. But mid-life or aspiring writers are in for challenging experiences with income unless they are exceptionally talented.

I've critiqued writers for over twenty years. Believe me. I in 1000, if that, are acclaimed to a living as a professional writer.

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I'm not saying I want to give up work and go write somewhere, relying on that income. I'm happy to do whatever job I end up doing, whether that's law (which I very much doubt, since I'm fairly useless at it) or theatre / television (which I initially trained in, which I now work in and which I earn a fair bit of money from because I'm damn good at it, to be honest), or something completely different. If I'm asked about things I want to achieve in life though, I want to be published.

It's not a question of money or even really of finding a 'profession', more just about finding something to pursue that I'm happy in, and a way of life I like. As I said, there's no one depending on me. I'll never be married or have kids, so the only person who cares what I do is me. I understand I probably have no chance of achieving that ambition, but at the end of the day, who cares if I don't? Only me, and I'm willing to put in the hours and keep writing and submitting, take the risk and see where it gets me.

I do the very best I can at whatever job I end up in, but the only thing I want to be is a writer.

JessRamage said:

I'm not saying I want to give up work and go write somewhere, relying on that income. I'm happy to do whatever job I end up doing, whether that's law (which I very much doubt, since I'm fairly useless at it) or theatre / television (which I initially trained in, which I now work in and which I earn a fair bit of money from because I'm damn good at it, to be honest), or something completely different. If I'm asked about things I want to achieve in life though, I want to be published.

It's not a question of money or even really of finding a 'profession', more just about finding something to pursue that I'm happy in, and a way of life I like. As I said, there's no one depending on me. I'll never be married or have kids, so the only person who cares what I do is me. I understand I probably have no chance of achieving that ambition, but at the end of the day, who cares if I don't? Only me, and I'm willing to put in the hours and keep writing and submitting, take the risk and see where it gets me.

I do the very best I can at whatever job I end up in, but the only thing I want to be is a writer.

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And you might very well succeed with this attitude. Not withstanding the ability to craft a good story that is well written and entertaining.

I wish you the best with your ambitions. The life of a writer is harsh at times and if money is a motivation then you'd best be a damn good writer because there are hundreds of thousands such fine people who think they can earn a decent living as a writer.

Best wishes, and write!

Jon

SpookyWriter said:

I don't simply because writing isn't my profession.



I admire the ambition, but so very few writers make a decent living off their works that I don't inspire to become a professional. Why take a major cut in pay for vanity?

I'm just fine with my salary. I can write as a hobby and if published the extra $5000 for a novel is half my monthly income. Pocket change.

I write for art, not money so I don't worry if I never sell a piece of work in my life time.

Just saying. Don't kill me.

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Spooky, I don't mean to criticize, but I imagine that just about everybody in here who hasn't published at least five or six novels minimum is hanging on to their day job. I don't see how you could inspire anyone with your words for anything other than trying to take your job from you. As for everyone aspiring to become published authors--it is the dream we share and work toward together. If you were really so indifferent to that dream, you wouldn't be here with us.

We even have a joke about this here:

A young man comes back to the country after he graduates as Doctor of Philosophy and they have a big party on his family's farm but around midnite a woman arrives "my little son has fever and I heard that a young doctor from the city is here" she said. And the young man explains her "sorry, ma'am. But I am a doctor in philosophy" the woman chuckles and reponds him "you poor lad. How much starving you will gone through"


I want to study Literature, but most of the people I talk agrees that studying languages is better and more profitable (here if you speak English, you can win a hell of money out of that; learning Spanish is not necessary!). If I study Modern Languages I will study French, English, Portuguese, German, Italian and Russian

Kerr said:

Spooky, I don't mean to criticize, but I imagine that just about everybody in here who hasn't published at least five or six novels minimum is hanging on to their day job. I don't see how you could inspire anyone with your words for anything other than trying to take your job from you. As for everyone aspiring to become published authors--it is the dream we share and work toward together. If you were really so indifferent to that dream, you wouldn't be here with us.

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I enjoy my day job since I went to college for the same profession that I've enjoyed since the mid-eighties. I also have continued to participate as a writer and a critic since my early college years in the eighties.

My point is that very few writers I've ever met in person or the web (as we call it today) make a life as a professional writer. I'm not trying to discourage people, but help them to face reality because there are twenty thousand members here and I can count a handful of professionals who make a decent living as a writer.

The life of an artisan was never easy, nor will it be for future generations.

maxmordon said:

We even have a joke about this here:

A young man comes back to the country after he graduates as Doctor of Philosophy and they have a big party on his family's farm but around midnite a woman arrives "my little son has fever and I heard that a young doctor from the city is here" she said. And the young man explains her "sorry, ma'am. But I am a doctor in philosophy" the woman chuckles and reponds him "you poor lad. How much starving you will gone through"


I want to study Literature, but most of the people I talk agrees that studying languages is better and more profitable (here if you speak English, you can win a hell of money out of that; learning Spanish is not necessary!). If I study Modern Languages I will study French, English, Portuguese, German, Italian and Russian

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I studied stage management and technical theatre at college the first time round. I remember we had a visiting speaker one time who asked what we were studying (as there were actors, dancers etc in the college too) and we told him. His reply was 'ah, so you're studying to be...unemployed!'

Which is irrelevant really but kind of similar so thought I'd bore you all with it

tomothecat said:

It's just a laid-back topic I posted so people can share that they don't feel alone in their experiences as a writer. We're all fully aware that it isn't easy and that many writers haven't made it as a professional; there's no need for the harsh life lesson.

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Then how about:

When your check for the story you just wrote is less than postage you paid to send it.

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Now that's much easier than the original post on improvished writers.

Actually, on the original subject of the post, I just recently 'came out' as a writer to my tutor in legal history. I was kind of waiting for him to laugh at me or give me the look he usually gives me when he thinks I've gone mad (at least once per seminar), but he got really interested in the plot I had and confessed in turn that he'd been writing a historical mystery. The meeting was supposed to be about my research essay proposal and ended up about plot ideas and Ellis Peters. Which was fun.

Anyway, again, that is probably irrelevant but it was actually a big moment for me, admitting my big love.

JessRamage said:

Actually, on the original subject of the post, I just recently 'came out' as a writer to my tutor in legal history. I was kind of waiting for him to laugh at me or give me the look he usually gives me when he thinks I've gone mad (at least once per seminar), but he got really interested in the plot I had and confessed in turn that he'd been writing a historical mystery. The meeting was supposed to be about my research essay proposal and ended up about plot ideas and Ellis Peters. Which was fun.

Anyway, again, that is probably irrelevant but it was actually a big moment for me, admitting my big love.

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Now that's a darn good yarn. I'll freely admit that coincidence and writing success is somewhat mutually inclusive.

When my husband says, "We can get the new house as soon as you get paid for 'that whole writing thing.'"

kellytijer said:

When my husband says, "We can get the new house as soon as you get paid for 'that whole writing thing.'"

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Can I live in your basement?

My favorite is from a homeless guy I was talking to yesterday about my current wip: "You can stay with me if it doesn't sell."

SpookyWriter said:

Can I live in your basement?

My favorite is from a homeless guy I was talking to yesterday about my current wip: "You can stay with me if it doesn't sell."

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Hahaha! Yes. I make a mean meatloaf. If only Houston had basements....