Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Giving up your day job
Some of my friends continually ask me "When are you going to give up your day job and write full time?" As well-meaning as they are, these friends don't seem to understand that writing is my day job. As a technical and (occasionally) business writer, I work with words daily -- writing, editing, re-writing. All of that kind of stuff.
Sure, it's not as glamourous as penning novels and short stories, creating that brilliant script, or tapping out witty essays for magazines. While I have no fiction writing ability, I do spend my several hours a week crafting articles, essays, and reviews for various magazines and Web sites.
To be honest, I'd love to spend all of my time writing those articles, essays, and reviews -- I've written quite a few and would like to write a whole lot more. But it's not financially feasible at the moment. Technical and business writing subsidizes my other work. It pays the bills, finances some of my vices, and presents me with new writing challenges.
Maybe one day I'll give up my day job and devote more of my time to writing what I want to write, instead of writing what other people want me to. Until then, I'm content to keep doing what I'm doing.
Sure, it's not as glamourous as penning novels and short stories, creating that brilliant script, or tapping out witty essays for magazines. While I have no fiction writing ability, I do spend my several hours a week crafting articles, essays, and reviews for various magazines and Web sites.
To be honest, I'd love to spend all of my time writing those articles, essays, and reviews -- I've written quite a few and would like to write a whole lot more. But it's not financially feasible at the moment. Technical and business writing subsidizes my other work. It pays the bills, finances some of my vices, and presents me with new writing challenges.
Maybe one day I'll give up my day job and devote more of my time to writing what I want to write, instead of writing what other people want me to. Until then, I'm content to keep doing what I'm doing.
