Comments on: The Full-Time Writing Life: If It Doesn’t Kill You First, It’ll Kill You Second

By: Full time blogging as a PROFESSION in Nigeria, anyone? « My Pen and My Paper

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:21:15 +0000

[...] the full time writing life, if it doesn’t kill you first, it’ll kill you second [...]

By: Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:39:51 +0000

I’m not advocating it one way or the other, although I do a ton of different things every day. The point, for me, is that I am a natural-born writer. I’ve wanted to be nothing but a writer since I was eight. So the idea of going back to a day job is horrifying.

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:10:24 +0000

I’m not even sure that writing fulltime makes you the better writer. There’s a lot to be said for doing something completely different for part of your day/week/life.

By: The Redoutable VanderMeer Strikes Again « Angela Slatter

The Redoutable VanderMeer Strikes Again « Angela Slatter — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:54:10 +0000

[...] http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2009/07/03/the-full-time-writing-life-if-it-doesnt-kill-you-first-itll... [...]

By: Jerome Stueart

Jerome Stueart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:19:13 +0000

Thanks for this post, Jeff. I have many days when I’m staring at a list of things that are “coming in” and projects that are “coming up” trying to create a budget, trying to see how much income is actually coming to me. I can get into a panic because there’s no money coming to me yet, but the projects all project a great sum… I gotta work on that “savings” thing—just haven’t made enough to have savings yet… But, too, I do need to work on the cutting down thing: making coffee at home vs. lattes (my vice). It’s reasonable to believe they would be the first to go, but alas, I gave up TV instead.

I still apply for the bigger day jobs, hoping for security, but secretly afraid that I’ll have to leave behind any plans on writing anything larger than a few short stories… it’s a different kind of panic, but just as stultifying.

I appreciate knowing that what I’m feeling isn’t an isolated case—it is completely normal. I’ll just have to live between the panic that inspires work and the letting-go that inspires peace. Not an easy task.

Thanks.

By: Will Hindmarch

Will Hindmarch — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:58:38 +0000

Thanks for this, Jeff. What I hadn’t put into words makes me smarter, and what I already knew I feel more confident about now for having seen it written “out loud.”

Minimizing my expenses was the #1 trick to getting by. We’re still in debt from school, etc., but I’ve bought myself some time to slowly scale the freelance existence — with the understanding that this may be a mountain without a top — and every year’s a little better than the last. Just watching other freelancers in action has taught me one of the vital, ugly skills: work has to be done well more than it has to be done the best you can absolutely do it. Some projects must be delivered or rejected just to protect the long game, strange as it feels. (There’s a suited-connectors metaphor here from which I’ll spare us all.)

The biggest hurdle, which still trips me up sometimes, is the one that tricks me into thinking that every job I do will be the last one I am offered. Do it well, and keep moving, and more contracts will come. Fretting leads to paralysis, and I can’t work that way.

Mur, I’m sorry to hear about the lost gig. ‘Tis the season for those, it seems like. I’ve no doubt you’ll find plenty more to replace it — your upward momentum is undeniable.

By: Transfiguring Roar

Transfiguring Roar — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:16:45 +0000

As a reader of your works and blog, I appreciate this post very much.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:48:32 +0000

The serpent in the garden of Eden… “my name is Stevie…” and then tells fart jokes to Eve.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:44:11 +0000

“Sometimes, it doesn’t take much, though–as when I pulled out of a rewriting-the-Bible-for-teens project when the head guy said, “Think of Adam as being like Batman, but with parents” and “The snake is called Stevie and tells fart jokes. The kids, they love the fart jokes.”

It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud on the internet. And I almost fell off my chair. I almost don’t believe it.

By: undeadbydawn

undeadbydawn — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:41:07 +0000

I am absolutely a part-timer. I put stuff on my website when I have the time to complete something enough to post it. I burned through some £40,000 a couple of years back ppurely because I could afford to do so, and am now in £16,000 debt. HELL YEAH do I wish I’d saved some in the good days, because now I can barely afford a few hours a week to focus on writing. I’m making up for this by posting reviews *just to keep up practice*.
Not that I expect to make any money off the ’site. That’s not the point. If I can get up to 100 regular daily visitors I’ll be overjoyed simply because it means some people want to read what I’m writing.

Then I’ll start putting a serious effort into getting my first for-sale works out.