Summary

The web content discusses the concept of being a "working writer," emphasizing the importance of defining what it means to be a writer, understanding one's financial needs, and setting a timeline to achieve writing-related income goals.

Abstract

The article "What Does Being a Working Writer Look Like For You?" delves into the personal journey of becoming a working writer, which involves earning a living through writing and related activities. It encourages writers to broaden their definition of writing to include various forms of writing-adjacent work, such as teaching or blogging, and to consider their day job as part of their writing career. The author, Shaunta Grimes, stresses the significance of identifying a personal "number"—the monthly income needed to support oneself—which should take into account individual tolerance for poverty, undesirable work, and uncertainty. The article also prompts writers to set a realistic timeline for achieving their income goals and to view themselves as business owners who may need to take on various contracts to sustain their passion for writing. Grimes shares her own experiences and offers practical advice for aspiring writers to create a roadmap toward their vision of a writing career.

Opinions

The author believes that a writing career can encompass a wide range of activities beyond just writing novels or articles, including teaching, blogging, and other creative work.
Grimes suggests that one's day job, regardless of the field, can be integrated into one's writing career by adopting a mindset that views all work as a choice rather than an obligation.
She posits that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to being a working writer; each individual must define what success looks like for them based on their personal circumstances and preferences.
The article emphasizes the importance of knowing one's financial "number" to establish realistic goals for transitioning to full-time writing, considering personal tolerance for financial risk, unenjoyable work, and uncertainty.
Grimes advocates for a balanced approach to transitioning into a writing career, suggesting that immediate financial needs may require taking on any job that covers basic expenses while working towards more writing-centric income sources.
The author encourages writers to set deadlines and create a timeline

What Does Being a Working Writer Look Like For You?

How to figure out where you are and where you want to be.

If you’re a writer, or you want to be one, it’s a good bet that you’ve spent some time thinking about what it would be like to just be a writer. To quit your day job and spend your days with your stories — whatever that looks like for you.

Let’s call that dream being a working writer. And for clarity: a working writer is someone who earns a living as a writer.

There are a few things that matter, a lot, if you want to be a working writer. Figuring these things out, understanding what they mean for you (in your life, in your world), is the only way to make them a reality.

What Does Being a Writer Mean to You?

Let’s start here. It’s important to identify what qualifies as ‘being a writer.’

I’m going to make a pitch to you in a moment that I hope will convince you that pretty much everything, including current day job, counts as part of your writing career.

But first, I want you to know that I wish that I could earn a living as a novelist. Maybe someday I’ll get there. I’ll be able to spend all day writing my books and earn enough money that I won’t have to do anything else.

But honestly? I’d probably want to do other things. I really love teaching. I like my blog. I enjoy working with people. After a lot of work, I’ve created a life where I earn a living as a writer, and doing writing-adjacent work.

Writing-adjacent work includes things that are close to writing, but not quite. Teaching is an obvious example. Or maybe it means blogging, if you really wish you were writing novels. Or it can be some other creative work. Or maybe it means taking on freelance clients in some non-writing capacity.

The wider you can broaden your idea of what ‘being a writer’ means, the happier you’ll be.

Here’s that pitch I promised: even your day job can become part of your writing career, if you shift your thinking.

Your day job can (obviously) be anything. Literally, anything. Maybe it’s an hourly wage-earning job. Maybe it’s a career that you’ve worked hard to build. Maybe it’s literally anything else.

Wrap your head around the idea that your employer has contracted with you, that you’re doing that work because it’s what’s keeping your business afloat right now — choosing to do the work, not required to.

One issue I see often when I talk to other writers is that it seems like an all or nothing prospect. Either you’re a full-time writer or you’re not a writer at all. If you find yourself waiting to be a writer until, you know, you are a writer — you know what I’m talking about.

The truth is that it might take some time to build the writing career you want. In the meantime, though, you can have the writing career you actually have — whatever that looks like.

So, what does being a working writer mean to you right now, today?

And, what do you want to work toward? What would you like to transition your writing business into?

What’s Your Number?

Everyone has one.

I’m talking about the number that represents how much money you need to make every month — from all sources.

Many people think about this number as the amount of money you need to earn to replace your income from your day job. So, if you earn $3000 a month working at your job right now, then your number would be $3000.

I’d like to suggest you take a few things into consideration before you decide on your number.

Here are three questions I want you to ask yourself right now: How tolerant are you to poverty? How tolerant are you to doing work you don’t want to do? How tolerant are you of uncertainty?

Me? I have a high tolerance for a certain amount of poverty and a very low tolerance for work I don’t like doing — which tends to be anything where I’m not working for myself. I’m very tolerant, maybe even too tolerant of uncertainty.

So my number is relatively low. Historically, anytime my writing income creeps over $1500 a month, I’m ready to quit my day job. Once I hit that number, in fact, it becomes very difficult for me to continue to work for someone else.

My husband, on the other hand, has almost no tolerance for poverty, a high tolerance for work he doesn’t enjoy, and a very low tolerance for uncertainty. He didn’t quit his job until A) my writing income was more than double what he could earn at his work and B) we moved away from his work, to a place where he couldn’t easily find another job.

So — what is your number? How much do you need to earn to be a working writer who isn’t contracting with a day job?

What’s Your Timeline?

Maybe you’re couching hoping and you need to start making some money as a writer yesterday.

Maybe you’ve got a career you love and writing won’t ever be more than a fun side hustle.

Likely, you’re somewhere in between.

Take a look at your number and ask yourself how quickly you need to reach it.

If you’re in desperate need for income right away, you’re going to need to widen your idea of what it means to be a writer. Maybe, you’re going to need to widen it right out to literally any job you can land that will take care of your basic needs.

That’s okay.

Do that job and do it the best that you can — while you keep looking for ways to replace it with income you’ll enjoy earning a little more. Income that’s more closely tied to writing.

Think of yourself as a business owner. You own You Writer, Inc. And if you need to, you’re going to have to contract You Writer, Inc. to do whatever keeps the lights on.

In the background, though? You’ll be working toward your vision of what being a working writer can be.

If you’re comfortable — maybe you have independent sources of income or you’re already earning some money doing work you really enjoy — then your timeline is less immediate.

In fact, you might struggle to actually talk yourself into doing the work to become a working writer who is actually doing any of their work writing. You’ll have to light a fire under yourself that’s not fueled by immediate need for income.

That starts with a deadline. A timeline. Think about what you’d like to have accomplished in the next year. How much of your number do you want to replace with writing income? What projects do you want to finish?

Being a working writer is a very personal thing.

It doesn’t look the same for everyone. Part of making this thing work is sitting down and figuring out where you are and where you want to be, and creating a roadmap to get there.

You can do this. I promise.

Here’s my secret weapon for sticking with whatever your thing is.

Shaunta Grimes is a writer and teacher. She is an out-of-place Nevadan living in Northwestern PA with her husband, three superstar kids, two dementia patients, a good friend, Alfred the cat, and a yellow rescue dog named Maybelline Scout. She’s on Twitter @shauntagrimes and is the author of Viral Nation, Rebel Nation, The Astonishing Maybe, and Center of Gravity. She is the original Ninja Writer.