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Comment by microcentury | Hacker News Reader

I've just rolled out of bed in a mid-Sunday-afternoon and this article is a bit like a slap in the face. I want to be a writer, and some people who are both likely to know and unlikely to mislead me have said I have a reasonable shot at making my living that way, based on what they've seen.

But for the last five years I've been working in a Giant Corporation, where the money is good and the prospects are good and my parents are delighted that I'm 'doing so well', and it has proved _immensely_ difficult for me to walk away. Our bonuses are paid in March, and every year I say to myself: next March I'm done. That's it. I've been distracted long enough. And every year I don't :-(

Sigh. Who knew chasing your dreams would be difficult?

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[Assuming you want to write books here, not magazines or technical writing]

Most writers start writing and sell their first manuscripts or non-fiction projects while working at another job. Another large group are stay at home moms, which is really no different because they're still working writing around a time-consuming job.

Set aside 1-2 hours per day for a year. At the end of the year you should have a complete, revised manuscript and be able to start querying agents. Very few writers sell their first manuscript, so expect to have to go through the process at least a couple of times.

I would not recommend quitting your job to write full time. That puts too much pressure on you too fast. Once you're comfortable writing frequently you can consider leaving the industry for a year if you can afford to, but don't expect that quitting your job will help you overcome procrastination.

What He Said.

(I am a full-time novelist. I had to do other stuff for close to 20 years first, though. It's not a bed of roses, and it takes lots of practice and experience -- and knock-backs -- before you get anywhere. Oh, and it's badly paid and the hours are long! Frankly, if you're _lucky_ it's a lot like running your own one-person start-up, only without the break-out potential. And if you're not lucky, it sucks.)

I am not a writer myself, but I know several novelists.

Some of which considered successful - i.e. they published several books which sold well and got payed handsomely for it.

None of them works as a novelist full time, because they would have never been able to cover their expenses.

Your chances of success (where success == making a living out of it without needing to keep another job) might be even lower than for indie game developers...

Nobody has a reasonable shot at making their living writing, including the most talented writers. You do it for other reasons and find ways to sustain yourself on the side.

If you've managed to put off your dream for five years, then you need to ask yourself whether this is really your life's goal.

There are inarguably a lot of people in the world who _do_ make their living as writers, so I think it comes down to your definition of 'reasonable'.

Re asking myself difficult questions, I think that's a fair point, and it's something I think about every day. Each time the answer is 'yes', though :-)

Many thousands of people make their living as opera singers, sculptors, and professional athletes. But they represent a tiny minority of the very talented people who aspire to do this and fail. There's a similar dynamic in writing.

Note that I am not saying "do not try to be a writer". Just don't expect to be able to make your living that way.

I call bullshit on this. Do you know how many fields exist for aspiring writers? It's not all people writing novel manuscripts. If you total up all the people making a living with words, you've got a pretty impressive sum.

You need to make time to sit down and do it, whether you're working for Acme or not.

My advice is for you to find something you need writing, but is new, this way you are not competing with Shakespeare, Cervantes, or Stefan Sweiz (man, they had been good writers out there).

Find something you are unique and good and follow that, books that could help you: "Rich dad,poor dad" "think and grow rich". Is not about being rich, is about changing your internal way of thinking you get used to think from a life with your parents, family, work...

Good luck

microcentury please read this (1) and listen to this (2)

(1) http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/writing.htm

(2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hidvElQ0xE

Many thanks wallflower, GavinB and cstross for the advice :-)

Edit: Oops, and xcombinator, just saw your comment!

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