I have no taste for either poverty or honest labor, so writing is the only recourse left for me
~ Hunter S. Thompson
Okay, maybe I was a little cheeky with the title. I’d never actually dissuade someone from pursuing a writing career. In fact, I’ve been known to encourage it. If I’ve ever told you that you have what it takes to be a writer, I hope you’re on your way. And if not, why not?
Put down the phone, close this tab, and get to it! Writing is not a thing that happens in the background while your attention is elsewhere — unless you’re writing with AI, and that’s a whole different article.
I’ve been a professional writer for a decade, and it’s been my primary source of income for about 7 years. But when I first went after this elusive dream of becoming a freelance writer, I had no clue what I was getting into.
To this day, there’s still an air of mystery around writers. So, I thought it’d be fun to share some truths. They might make you think twice about being a writer.
1. You Care What Other People Think
I should rephrase that. What I mean is, you let fear of other people’s opinions stop you from sharing the work you create.
My last post mentioned that I’ve been oversharing with the internet for about 15 years — longer if you count Livejournal — and I still wake up in the middle of the night sweating and shaking with anxiety about how something I published will be interpreted, misunderstood, or taken out of context. I doubt that’ll ever go away.
Public comments make it so much worse. I made the mistake of reading the comments when Outside published my piece, How to Run Stoned, and I’ll never do it again. Comments sections are for people with extremely thick skins, only.
Another thing that’s important to understand is that anything you write will be altered in the editing process. They may replace your suggested title, cut your favorite line, or, in the worst cases, completely change the tone of your piece. It still gets published with your name on it, even if it’s only 80% yours and you only like it half as much as the story you turned in.
You have to accept this because the editors you work with are essentially your collaborators. They know the pub’s audience much better than you, and they have a stronger grasp on what’ll fly and what won’t.
2. You’re a People Person
“The most important thing a writer can have [is] the ability to live with the constant loneliness and a strong sense of revulsion for the banalities of everyday socializing.”
~ Hunter S. Thompson
HST says it all. Writing involves spending a lot of time alone in front of your keyboard/notebook/whatever.
Sometimes, weeks go by when the only people I talk to are my dogs, my husband, and the UPS driver.
I’m pretty cut off from the rest of the world as long as I’m working on a piece. Even if I’m taking a break, my mind is working through what I’m writing. My body may appear to be taking a walk, getting a glass of water, etc., but if you try to talk to me, my lack of presence will be readily apparent.
Actually, I’ll probably growl at you and bare my teeth.
Writers live in our own heads. There’s a whole world in there that outsiders can’t access until the thing is on the page. Having someone else try to get our attention while our minds are spinning stories just feels obtrusive.
Thriving in solitude is an essential skill for writers. PR jobs may be the exception. Even when I was a news reporter constantly covering meetings and events and interviewing people, I was extremely lonely.
Depending on the type of writing job you get, you may have little to no interaction with other people. I’m a freelance writer who primarily works from home. Some clients have gone above and beyond to make me feel like part of the team with regular check-ins and video calls. Others have been nothing more than a name that appears on a Google doc or Asana card.
3. You Only Write When You Feel Inspired
If you can only write when the muse strikes or you’re perfectly well-rested or Mercury isn’t retrograde, you’re going to be a very hungry writer.
You might land a full-time writing gig that offers benefits like unlimited PTO, but if you freelance, there’s no such thing.
If I don’t plan ahead to ensure I have enough income to cover time off, I gotta keep writing.
I’ve taken my laptop on road trips and hammered away in the passenger seat. I’ve submitted invoices from a gas station in the desert. And when I returned from Hayley’s celebration of life last month, I had to leave my emotions unprocessed and buried for a week so my deadlines were on time.
Someone once asked me what I do when I don’t feel like writing. I told him I set a timer for 25 minutes and write until it goes off. I can’t think of a single time this hasn’t worked.
4. You Like Your Soul Uncrushed
There are so many ways in which a writing career can break your heart and eat you alive, and I can’t speak to most of them. I’ve hardly scratched the demoralizing surface, myself.
My experience so far has been in journalism and copywriting. Each will seek to destroy you differently.
You’re either:
A) — Putting all your energy into pitching articles to editors who get hundreds or thousands of emails a day, striving to somehow stand out among the vast field of people fighting for their attention, and celebrating rejections because it means they actually opened your message and took the time to respond
B) — Getting paid fairly well to deliver snappy content for marketing purposes, sometimes selling so hard it makes you throw up a little bit, and always confronting the fact that you’re whoring out your creative juices to make someone else richer
JK, I love copywriting, really! I mean, someone’s gotta do it.
Until you burn out.
Then another writer will take your place. Because writers are hungry and ambitious. The weak are killed and eaten.
Maintaining a blog is a necessity for me. It keeps my love of writing alive and gives me a space to experiment with and express my unfiltered creativity.
I earn a small amount of money from Substack — enough to buy about one coffee a week. If you enjoy my work, you can show your support by buying me a coffee or becoming a paid subscriber. Then I can have two coffees.
As always, thank you for reading and I love you!