I started writing fiction at the age of six and I wrote fiction and poetry throughout my life. From my first stories all the way through university, everyone always told me, "You're really good at this, but don't even try to make a living at it. Get a day job and do this on the side." Even my university advisors told me to give up trying to write fiction for a living.
For some reason, I took this message to heart. Eventually, I stopped writing altogether. I didn't see the point. This is the classic angst of the artist. If our art is so valuable, why doesn't society recognize and support it by giving us the means to create instead of wasting our energies on day jobs?
Needless to say, the time I spent in the employment world did not go well. My heart wasn't in it and I wasn't using my resources to their utmost or in a way that was in alignment with my inclinations. I spent many years unemployed on the public assistance system because I couldn't hold a "real" job.
Then I had children.
When my second child was born, we decided to move to a different city to give the kids a better education. I started looking for some work I could do online that would allow me to dedicate as much time as I needed to my children. That's when I discovered writing--rediscovered it, actually. I started trying to write greeting card poetry, but that didn't take off. Then I tried doing academic writing, which I loved. I soon realized, however, that most of the "clients" were university students who wanted to pass the work off as their own. Then I turned to fiction.
I started writing erotica which, in case you've ever tried it, is probably the most boring kind of writing there is. I finished a contract and I noticed that my client had posted a job for an action/adventure book. I asked him to give me a chance and the rest is history.
I discovered very quickly that I could not only write fiction for a living, but that I could earn a very comfortable living at it. I supported a family of five on my writing alone for five years before my marriage ended. Then I supported my children and myself single-handedly on my fiction writing alone until I entered the publishing world with my own books.
DO NOT EVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN'T MAKE A LIVING AS AN ARTIST. I am living proof that that is bullshit. Don't let anyone take away your dream, and for the love of God, don't ever tell children that. It's probably the most damaging message you can give someone and children are more inclined to believe it. It's also patently untrue. Many of us are doing exactly that.
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