Many people
assume that as writers we are flooded with advances and royalty cheques. But
that’s not the case with all of us. For most of us in India
A writer’s
life comes with its fair share of frustrations and a lot of struggle, that’s
why it becomes important for writers until they make it big to cling on to
their day jobs or atleast have a part time job. This assures a regular income
and security while one is struggling to establish a writing career.
Money is indeed
a great boost to a struggling writer’s ego and self-respect. Atleast one aspect
of life is taken care of while we struggle to establish our writing careers.
The regular
day job also diminishes the frustration that our writing career throws up as we
are assured that atleast we have a job and there is money in our bank account and that we are not spending time pursuing a career that’s just
not taking off. Just imagine the scenario if writers were to live solely on the
income provided by their writing. It
would be one stressed human, tearing his or her hair out and struggling financially.
How important
do you think a day job is for writers? Do you think having a steady job helps a
writer. Ofcourse with a day job there is less time for writing, but the financial
worries and fears are taken care of in a big way and there is also the option
to leave the jobs whenever our writing careers take off. What are your views on
this? Please share your opinion with us.
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18 comments:
It could be extremely hazardous to take on writing as a full time job unless some financial security already exists!
I think it's one of the advantages of writing that you can fit it in around other things, whether that's a job or looking after kids. Full time writing without pay would be a hard thing to maintain for very long.
mood
Moody Writing
@mooderino
The Funnily Enough
So true, Rachna.. I took up writing after I gave up my day job and I've had a tough time. I am not even talking about the financial security aspect, but just the fact that the publishing process hammers your ego to such an extent that a day job will somehow keep frustrations at bay and keep you grounded.
This is a very thoughtful post. It would be difficult to become a full time writer without the minimum survival kits. certainly even more difficult for people who have to raise family.
But, Personally I feel writing is one such thing that even by being poor, one feels he is rich. One who devotes more time writing may have less physical and material wealth but let us not under estimate the mental wealth he gains. Mental wealth is valueless. and therefore it is unjustified to measure and compare physical wealth with mental wealth.
Perhaps, that's why William Shakespeare wrote "your are rich by being poor"
If you are a good writer then it is understood that you are both . -rich and poor........
cheers......
I think people who get into writing for the money are set up for failure. As well (especially with the ease of publishing online now) it encourages writers to not develop their skills ad writing to the point it must be to even think about attaching one's name to a book cover.
I think most writers (traditionally focused or SP focused) tho know that a writing career is a slow build and that they need to take their time to develop. :) Most know too, it will never be enough to live off of. We have to love it to do it, :)
Good topic Rachna. As times change, I think with the easy of publishing and the low cost of books, I believe it will be essential for authors to have a "day job."
Hopefully, they have a job not in the book publishing industry as that is like a dinosaur now.
Excellent subject, Rachna! We gotta eat! :-)
And most will never become millionaires. *sob* But for the love of writing and the children that does not matter. Write on, Rachna!
Hello friends...we writers need to eat, for that we need to have a regular paying job. We just cannot survive on our writing to pay our bills. Writing is our passion and life and not our source of income.
A steady income is both necessary and helpful. A writer's life is difficult. We write because we have to. We cannot stop ourselves from writing and we need to reach the readers, so whether we make money out of writing or not will not change the passion. I believe the secret is to live on less money. I don't even have time to spend money anyway. Rachna, I have given you a blog award. Stop by my blog any time to check it out.
Many authors will not be able to make a steady, annual income from writing. Too bad, but it's true.
Good question. I gave up my job to write and raelised I needed the regular income to support myself. Plus it helps to have some outside stimulus to provide ideas.
Hi Rachna .. unfortunately we all need some form of monthly security for our bills etc .. it would be great if we could just write and forget other aspects of life .. but I like Madeleine's thoughts - and I would hope that we'll all be able to make some income from our writing at some stage.
Good luck! Cheers Hilary
Congrats on your award! I'm glad to have found your blog!!
Apart from the financial security, a day job also offers another benefit - social interaction on a regular basis. It gets us out and makes sure our writing doesn't turn stale. Having said that, I would love to work only a couple days a week. More time for writing.
I have a day job. I need a day job. Wouldn't be able to live without one. I might even keep it if I land a sweet deal. Or a deal period.
Excellent post! :)
Even though I don't currently have a day job, I do think it's important for writers to have one. It gets them out and experiencing the world and people. The more we experience, the more inspiration we gain for our writing.
Publishing, book sales, deals...it's all unpredictable with no guarantees. Keeping a day job, in my opinion, is a wise decision. Of course everyone's circumstances are different, and some writers do well writing full-time. I also find that my day job is a release from writing and my writing is a release from the day job.
so is teaching your day job? :)
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