As I continue to contemplate the concept of writing in my life and the role it plays in my life, I must say I’m torn. On one hand, writing brings me great joy and a channel to release my creative expressions. On the other hand, the idea of how I can become a successful writer (and by successful, I mean being in a position where I can do it full-time and make money at it) fills me with anxiety.
Last night I had a “Come to Jesus” meeting with myself. I either need to take writing/blogging seriously if I want to reach the point where I can solely focus on this as my primary source of income, or I have to come to terms with the fact that this will never be anything more than a hobby to me. I can’t have it both ways. It’s time to $h!t or get off the pot!
The pros of being a full-time writer, at least when I imagine it, are living a more laid-back lifestyle, being able to work from almost anywhere (including from the comfort of my own home as long as I have my computer, electricity, and connection to the internet), the ability to be creative and utilize self-expression, and I can write solo with the potential of working with others. Oh, and of course, the possibility of making (a lot of) money by doing it.
Some cons to writing full-time are it’s a competitive market, now even more so with the rise of AI, building traffic to my work (which as an introvert makes me wonder how far I’m willing to go to achieve that quest), finding and utilizing resources to make money doing what I enjoy with out it becoming all about the moola, and keeping the content interesting and fresh for the audience to read (the last one is not really a con…that’s more of a challenge).
The good news is I’ve already started my blog and put myself out there. That’s gotta count for something. I still have a ways to go, but I’ve taken the first steps to tackling my goal of being a full-time (successful) writer. And it must also count for something that every time I post my writings, I feel like I’ve actually accomplished something meaningful, even if it’s just to me.
There are some moments when I wish I could just snap my fingers and see where I’ll end up with my writing. Then there are other moments when I just want to enjoy the ride and wait and see how things unfold. I guess when I think of it that way, my journey of writing is like life in general, just on a much smaller scale.
I’ll end with this: when I was younger, I had more zest for life. I had the time, patience, and energy to try to figure things out. I’m still youngish, in my opinion, but I don’t have as much time, patience, and energy to keep trying and giving up when things don’t work out to my expectations as quickly as I had hoped. I would love for my writing venture to be successful, and one day I hope it will be (and for you morbid folks out there, I don’t mean posthumously). I want this to be it for me. I want to write (and possibly study the human brain and its impact on behavior, but that’s a topic for another time). So for now, writing is my focus and my desire. Wish me luck and blessings!