Last week I extolled the advantages of the writing life: choice, variety, being your own boss, choosing your own hours. Notice that I did not mention fame or fortune. That brings us to the other side of the writing life. The not-so-good side.
Let’s get the fame and fortune part out of the way first. The chances you will become rich and famous by writing is…well..a longshot, to put it mildly. “But what about Stephen King?” you say. “What about J.K. Rowling?”
Those are the exceptions. Thousands upon thousands of people compete to get their works published. A small percentage are successful. I feel grateful to have had more than twenty of my manuscripts made into books. This, however, has not led to fame nor fortune.
Of all those authors who are talented and fortunate enough to have their work published, only a small percentage of them are able to make a living from it. That’s why most authors have other jobs, to pay the rent and buy food. For me, it’s been teaching. Not only do I feel like it’s a worthwhile career, it keeps me in contact with the audience (kids) for whom I’m writing, and it offers lots of free time (summer break, holidays) to write.
Writing takes lots of time. And patience. Imagine having an idea for a book, then working on it every chance you get for a year, or even more. When you’re done, you send the finished work to agents or publishers. They hang onto it for six months, maybe longer, then send you a generic postcard or letter saying your manuscript is “not right for our list.”
That’s what usually happens to most writers. And not just once. Over and over and over. Twenty-five times, fifty times, until you either find your manuscript a home or you give up.
So, why bother if it’s so frustrating and your chances are so slim in becoming successful? That’s a question that every writer has to answer. Every writer also must decide what “success” is? For me, it’s not about the money or the notoriety. I’ts about contributing my ideas, sharing my words, and encouraging thought, curiosity, and exploration. That won’t pay the rent, but then it doesn’t have to.
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