Stop Thinking That Writing Is an All-or-Nothing Gig

Many writers believe that those who wish to write books either do it full-time - or they fail.

However more than 90% of writers, even though they earn an income from their books, choose to continue working in other related fields such as teaching, publishing, editing, or like the author who is writing this article - freelance writing.

But why? Why would a writer choose to do something writing-related when they could just write?

Easy.

Writing Isn't Everything

Some writers make writing their whole identity as much as a bulked-up dude going to the gym. It's all they talk about, all they post about, and all they center their personality around.

Now I'm not saying this is a bad thing as it is something I am guilty of sometimes. (About writing, not so much going to the gym)

It is entirely possible to write and still have other focuses and goals in life.

You can want to write a book and still move up the corporate ladder.

You can still earn a full-time income from your books and choose to add to that income with a part-time job. 

Even if writing and supporting yourself with a full income from books alone is your goal, just because it doesn't happen right away from that very first book it is in no way an indication of failure.

One of the important things to note is that the cost of living is constantly rising while the income earned from books - well it's not rising nearly as much as the price of groceries is on a yearly basis

 Build a Growth Mindset

If earning a full-time income on writing alone is your goal, then take it one step at a time.

Sit down with your finances and figure out exactly how much you would need to earn to begin replacing your income with writing.

With each book you write, you learn better strategies and start building a larger and larger audience that will help you reach your goal of a full-time income.

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Writing is not something where it's all or nothing, it's customizable so that you can tailor your experience to what you wish it to be. 

If you want to write full-time, as long as you have a way to support yourself you are free to do so as well as if you only wish to write a book once every five years. 

There is no set path a writer has to take. 

The journey is all your own. 

Best of luck!

With love, 

B. xo xo

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This story was originally posted on Medium.

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