What It Takes to Become A Full-Time Writer: Part II

Everyone has a story. Here’s mine

I’ve been a full-time writer for over 12 months now. In that time, I’ve published over 200 blogs here on Medium, I’ve self-published 3 books (the 4th is underway!), I’ve launched a website, have grown a steady audience, and I earn enough money each month to keep me writing.

I’m not rich by any means but I thoroughly enjoy being able to do what I do every day which is all that matters in the end, at least for me anyway.

I can attest that this writing life is possible. It’s really possible! And I can attest that if a SCUBA diving beach-bum like myself can do it, anyone can.

What I would like to stress before we start is that there is no magic formula, there is no special VIP pass and there is no secret code that needs to be cracked to become a full-time writer either.

I got to where I am today on the back of being ignorant, naive, curious, determined, playful, willing to fail, the desire to learn, and stubbornness to see it through. These few traits really can take a person far. The writing kind of just sorts itself out after that.

Here’s more of my story on how I became a full-time writer.

1. Commit yourself

First and foremost, you have to commit yourself wholeheartedly. If you’re not fully in, it’s a lot easier to quit or convince yourself that you’re not ready on the hard days.

I dabbled a lot in the early years at becoming a writer. I had lists galore, Hollywood dreams of success, and storylines that could keep me writing for lifetimes. But in the end, they were all just dreams, ideas, idealisms.

It’s only when I said, “I’m in!” and meant it did I begin to comprehend what lay ahead. I was terrified, clueless, and had absolutely no idea of how I was going to do it, all I knew was that other people were doing it so I knew that it was possible.

All I had to figure out was how it was possible for me. Commitment was the first step on that path.

2. Find your voice

At the start, I had no idea that I had to find any voice, let alone “my voice”. As I could speak, I just assumed that would come naturally but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

If you’re fully committed, finding your unique writing voice can be a challenging, creative, productive, and curious exploration into what you want to say and how you want to say it.

There’s a lot to learn, there’s a lot to laugh about, and a lot to let go of. A sense of humour here is key, along with compassion and patience.

Without the commitment, finding your unique writing voice can be more frustrating and challenging than it needs to be. It’s also easier to quit.

Here’s my top tip: Fully commit and then hone your craft as you evolve as a writer and as a human.

3. Prepare to become a full-time writer

See a great life ahead. Discover different sides of yourself. Drop out of school with no direction. Move between jobs without commitment. Naively believing that you’re finding your way. Worry that you’ll never be as good at anything else as you were at playing football.

Go work for your Dad. Have the opportunity to learn carpentry but pretend that it’s just a temporary thing. See a good friend travel the world. Listen to their stories of paradise islands in Fiji. Dream about going there yourself. Get your head down. Commit to this temporary thing called work to save enough money to travel.

Search for a volunteer program in Fiji. Sign up. Grind away in a cold workshop for months dreaming about the sun. Stumble across the finish line not being sure of how you made it. Say goodbye to worried parents. Get to the airport, shy and nervous. Meet strangers that you’ll spend the next 3 months with, whether you like it or not. Learn to love those strangers. Let those strangers rebuild your broken heart.

See a Fijian smile. Hear a Fijian laugh. Cry when you have to say goodbye. Feel as lost as you’ve ever felt in your entire life. Try to understand the world before it swallows you whole. Try not to panic. Don’t look at the map. Discover how huge Australia is by sitting on a bus. Feel the expansiveness of time. Follow your nose. SCUBA dive.

Be in awe of the ocean. Take that with you into life. Book another ticket. Explore New Zealand. Hitch-hike. Skydive. Bungee jump. Zorb. Be wild. Be free. Be thankful that life always turns out exactly how it’s meant to be.

Run out of money. Curse. Realize that it’s all over. Ask your brother to fly you home. Try not to freak out. Hug mum. Dig deep into what it is that you want to do in life. Phone Dad — ask for your old job back. Step back into the workshop. Reminisce on the days gone by.

Work for 18 months. Wonder what the hell you’re doing. Plan another trip. Tell your Dad and brother that you have 6 months to save. Ask them for their support. Then, witness your Dad and brother get robbed by a conman and lose all of their money. Think un-humane thoughts. Straighten your spine. Stiffen your lip. Hug your Dad. Hug your brother. Forget the trip, it can wait. Let go of your dreams. Work another year. Begin to drag yourself out of a hole.

Feel the Earth beneath you. See that you are back on your feet. Book another plane ticket. Pack your bag. Say farewell. Walk off the plane. Enjoy feeling completely lost in the middle of Bangkok.

Fall asleep drunk. Ride motorbikes in the mountains. Have the biggest water fight that you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Fly back to Australia. Work. Meet the girl that brought you there. Fall in love.

Take your broken heart. Run away. Feel alone. Try to clear your head. Get some headspace. Find an invitation to the Philippines. Book a flight. Go meet the girl. Commit adultery. Dance in the rain. Dream of a life together.

Wave goodbye. Wonder what happens next. Fly to Australia, broke and nervous. Eat one meal a day. Spend your last $150 dollars to pay for a week in a hostel. Pray that the phone rings.

Take the job. Give thanks for skidding through by the skin of your teeth. Find a home. Breathe. Let go for a while. Work for 5 months in a job that you have no idea about. Find a family. Love them deeply. Sail for a day and feel something awaken inside. Wait 3 years for that spark to ignite.

Wave goodbye. Fly to Morrocco. Reunite with an old friend. Travel the country in a beat-up old car. Make it home. Eat with your hands. Celebrate Xmas under the stars. Wonder if it ever gets better than this.

Make a pit stop at home. Connect with your family that you haven’t spoken to in a while. Feel awkward and outcast. Book another flight. Hello Mexico. Travel down south. Guatemala. Honduras. Remember how you loved to SCUBA dive? Treat yourself to a week on a Caribbean island called Utila. Watch how your whole life changes.

Sit down next to a stranger, let her become your best friend. Let one week turn into 4 months. Dance. Take drugs. Be free, wild, excessive, and hedonistic. Push boundaries. Wear sunglasses at night. Sleep only when you have to. Lose yourself in the glory, the guts. Wonder if you’re losing grip on reality. Allow the eyes of a woman to show you a new future.

Say sorry. Cry. Pack your things. Be scared out of your mind. Take the ferry. Promise you’ll come back. Move towards those eyes. Dream in each other’s arms. Make love.

Learn to have compassion for yourself in those moments where you should have stayed but decided to leave. Try not to regret that decision for the rest of your life.

Get home. Drive up to the workshop door. Step inside. Try to keep your shit together. Pretend that everything is going to be okay. Remind yourself that one day it will be.

Build up your courage. Dare to look forward. Dream about becoming a diving instructor. Rejoice. Save. Plan a new life. Fly to Mexico. Get your certification.

Travel back to those glorious eyes. Realize what you had. Cry. Run back to the place that you know so well. Lose yourself to drugs. Sink further than you ever sank before. Be saved by a beautiful mysterious woman. Marvel at how quickly it can all turn around.

Travel to Colombia with her. Realize that it’s gone full circle. Say goodbye to the woman who saved your soul. Fly back home. Broke. Jump in your brothers’ car, head to the workshop. This time, be thankful. See your patterns. Make a conscious decision not to make them again. Save, save, save. Enjoy your brothers’ company. Prepare to work your last day in the workshop and truly mean it this time.

Head to the Caribbean. Start a new job. Start a new life. Unpack your dive gear. Jump in the ocean. Learn how to sail. Teach SCUBA diving to kids. Drive extremely fast in a dingy. Breathe in the freedom. Serve. Ask ‘what was your favourite part of the day and listen to what people have to say.

Let go of old friends, old times, old places, old you’s that stopped serving long ago. Lift your head. Look up at a new horizon. Be scared. Be terrified. Be curious. Sell Xmas trees in New York. Trim weed in California. Only commit to projects that excite your soul. Re-visit Guatemala. Find your people. Fall in love. Let go. Dance.

Discover old feelings from the past. Feel the pain. Understand why. Spend 2 years in celibacy. Feel alone but not lonely. Feel lost. Let go of the need to have a lover, although that’s all you want. Find a teacher. Discover Tantra. Lose your mind. Lose your heart. Lose your soul. Lose them all to find them again.

Step forward as a new you. Meditate. Breathe. Stretch. Learn to forgive. Think positive thoughts. Wake up. Look around. See a whole new world. New faces. New lands. New opportunities. See your people, smiling. See your people, dancing. Smile. Dance with them. Join the party. Say sorry to yourself. Forgive your Dad. Forgive the alcohol for taking him too. Let go of the past, forgive the pain. Find your safety. Breathe.

Be in the community. See your friends have children. Understand how everything is deeply connected. Marvel at the trees. Lose yourself in the beauty. Follow all the things that bring you joy. Make note of what they are. Follow all the people that bring you happiness. Make note of where they stay. Move closer towards them both.

Enjoy the smile of a friend. Learn to hear birdsong change from season to season. Breathe your way to a higher place. Become a breathwork instructor. Fall in love. Learn to not take life so seriously. Focus on making what’s around you a better place. Get excited that the best days are yet to come.

Look into how to make money online. Rediscover your love of writing. Discover Medium.com. Discover self-publishing platforms. See a writing life ahead. Dare to dream. Frivolously try.

Spend 4 months learning. Commit yourself wholeheartedly. Overcome your fear of being seen. Publish your first book. Publish your second, then your third. Commit to publishing 1 blog a week. Turn that into 1 blog a day.

Wake up one day and realize that you’re a full-time writer. Smile. Laugh. Throw your hands in the air.

4. Tell your story

Breathe. Tell your story. Invite people into your journey. Authenticity is on the rise. Be brave enough to share what you know in case there’s someone else who might need to hear it.