This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Aspects of a Writer Project: The Writing Life Plan

The So-Called Day Job

The reality of being a creative writer is that a person will not end up being able to fully support themselves through their writing. Very few authors are able to make enough money solely from their published works that they do not need to worry about money. This is should not be despairing news, however. The vast majority of writers are able to carve out a career for themselves in addition to their writing which they are happy with. This is what is commonly referred to as a “day job.” The term is not a pejorative. It is simply a nickname for how writers pay the bills.

Plenty of famous writers have had other jobs where they earned money to support themselves and their families while also writing their wonderful works.

Octavia Butler worked as a potato chip inspector, a dishwasher, and a telemarketer.
Toni Morrison edited textbooks. T. S. Eliot worked at a bank and later a publishing house.
Franza Kafka worked at an insurance company.
Lewis Carroll was a teacher, a photographer, and a mathematician.
William Carlos Williams was a doctor during his writing career.
Tomas Tranströmer, the 2011 Nobel Prize winner for Literature, worked as a psychologist up until his death in 2015.

When it comes to day jobs, working writers tend to agree that three things are important to consider:

Time
Money
Street Cred

Time

Setting aside or making room for writing can be difficult when someone is rushing around working every day, but in order to be a writer, one must write. Some amount of hours, energy, and brainpower must be available for writing. Being disciplined and keeping motivated is key.

Money

A day job needs to make enough money in order to support a person’s daily life. This could be through one job or a series of smaller work opportunities. The main point is that if someone is not able to make enough money to secure themselves a decent living situation - shelter and food - then they will not have time or energy to write.

Street Credit

This last one is the least important of the three and the one that is most mutable. Having a day job that lends credibility to your writing or life as a writer (such as experience, credentials, knowledge, etc.) is a boon, but not a necessity. All of that is good and could help you in your writing career, but having a day job that provides you with a time vs money balance is most important.

Some sources that discuss balancing the writing life with a day job in more depth can be found here:

Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Go to Table of Contents page

This page has paths:

Contents of this path: