I was visiting with a friend last week who, like me, and many of you, is a writer with a day job. The topic of wishing we could write fulltime is one that has come up before, and it came up again. We both bemoan our need to earn money, and joke about wishing we could retire or win the lottery, or some such, which would enable us to write—unencumbered by odious day jobs that have nothing to do with our Real Work. She and I have a writer friend who has that leisure. And we both envy him those long days of uninterrupted writing. He is cranking out some wonderful stuff.
I grouse about this issue to someone at least once a week, especially if it’s a bad week for the day job. Or a really good week for the writing—in which case, anything that takes me away from what I really should be doing is viewed as evil. There are days when I am sure my day job has robbed the world of the enjoyment of my genius. When I am certain that, had I been left alone to write, I would have created something remarkable. I write this in jest, but even as I write it, a small part of me thinks it might not be B.S. Such is the hopeful ego of a writer.
But here’s the thing. Another part of me secretly suspects that if I didn’t have this pressure to make the most of my writing time—I wouldn’t write nearly as much, or nearly so well.
I have a sneaking suspicion that my craving for writing time makes me hot to sit down and write. It’s the impetus that springs me out of bed at 5 am, to stumble downstairs, grab a cup of tea, and eagerly crouch over my computer keyboard for the next three hours—sometimes with my heart racing. I don’t know if I would feel the same ardor for it, if I had all the hours in the day. Maybe I would, but I’m not sure.
And here’s another thing. I meet all kinds of characters, overhear every kind of crazy, sad, poignant, weird, greedy, profane, sublime conversation in the course of my work day. The folks I meet come from all walks of life: clean-cut villains and tattooed angels; type-A workaholics and winsome widows; lonely, paint-splattered men who try to tell me dirty jokes, and funny, chain-smoking gurus. My workday is a cornucopia of characters. And they fill me up with stories!
Would I meet so many vivid characters if I didn’t have to venture forth and slay the green-backed dragon? I think not.
Still…I would be willing to try it.
I could always get another day job if things weren’t working out.
Writers: Do you have a day job? How does it affect your writing time? If you don’t have a day job, do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
Oh and, FYI, caring for young children is having a day job. So don’t feel left out of the conversation, if parenting is what you do!
August 21st, 2011 at 2:56 pm
You only complain about this once a week? You are a better woman than I. I get up at 5:30 a.m. to have time to exercise, meditate, have breakfast, make lunch, get ready for work, and often don’t get home from work until 6:00 or 7:00 p.m., too tired to think, never mind write. Therefore, most of my writing is on the weekends, which means a) I have no social life, b) I have to really think about the value of any invitations that come my way, and c) my house is a mess. At least once a week I pull out the little sticky note with my projected retirement income on it, trying to find a way to shorten the wait from five years to next month! I have not one fear that when the day comes that I have all of it for writing, it will affect the result in any way but positive (and my sentences will become less convoluted). The glory of having an entire day to rewrite a paragraph, if that’s what it takes! The joy of being able to forget about the hours and just write! To be able to spend a few days doing research without resenting the time away from the computer! In the meantime, I just keep going, hoping that one of my novels will be the one that enables me to spend more time with the others. Someday . . .
August 21st, 2011 at 5:37 pm
I’m with you, Trish…I would so enjoy a chance to prove my suspicions wrong! Whatever happened to writers having rich patrons who took care of mundane things like paying bills and cooking dinner?
Thanks for commenting
August 21st, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Hi Cynthia,
My day job is a challenging and demanding one in healthcare education, yet as you say, it may in some ways fuel my desire to write. I view my writing as the “perfect lover” and I dare say if we were stably married I might not feel the same desire, thrill, secrecy, daring, and promise that I do. It’s ironic, but my stories sometimes come to me on the subway, a nightmare of its own, and one I would not be in very often if I didn’t have to commute to work. Thanks for your refreshing perspective here, and for seeing value in all we do.
All told, this is a good time to actually have a paying job – writing or not.
Jennifer
J.J.Brown
August 21st, 2011 at 5:40 pm
I view my writing as the “perfect lover” and I dare say if we were stably married I might not feel the same desire, thrill, secrecy, daring, and promise that I do.
I couldn’t have said it better, Jennifer. Writing is the perfect lover. And time away only makes the heart grow fonder!
August 21st, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Hi Cynthia
Yup, I have a day job, a job that you’ll recall from my blog, takes me literally around the world and yet I don’t feel it takes me away from writing.
What I mean by that, is that I couldn’t ‘just write’ for a living. It would bore me silly. I guess we’re all very different but personally I couldn’t (and wouldn’t) crank out more than, say 1,200 words in a session. After that I lose my edge, not necessarily creatively, but in terms of keeping the quality of the prose to a level that I’m comfortable with.
But, it could be down to the fact that I have the attention span of a mosquito ;-)
August 21st, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Oh I WISH I had your job, Alexander. Talk about characters…you not only meet them all, but your locations are characters in themselves. Love your hilarious tales!
August 21st, 2011 at 5:58 pm
Hi Cynthia,
Really enjoyed this post. I’ve lived both lives. Right now, I’m the writer with a day job. Of the two options, I found that the anxiety of *not* having a job and steady income was more writer-deadly than actually having one. Also, in my recent book, I interviewed 20 writers from across the U.S., and, almost unanimously, they reported that they didn’t necessarily get more done in retirement. But still … like you say … wouldn’t mind trying it for a while!!!!
August 21st, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Good question…. and interesting to read your and other writers’ POVs! I’ve done it many different ways: in a non-writing full time or part time job, in a full time writing job, and as a freelance writer — and I don’t necessarily get anymore (fiction or “my own” writing) done when I don’t have a paying job than when I do… Right now — when I’m at a lull in paying (writing) work, I vary between being super productive some days and super unproductive on others. For me, my writing productivity seems to have more to do with external stressors, general happiness level, etc., than lack or abundance of time.
August 21st, 2011 at 6:44 pm
Yep, I have a day job that requires me to work 50-55 hour week, and I have two young children. I feel that I really have to make the most of the writing time. One thing that has worked for me is to use a voice recorder on my daily commute to work. That way, when I start to write in the evening, I am already writing the “second draft” from my recording and I don’t have to worry about writers block. I don’t know if I would ever go to being a full-time writer, because I don’t think I would be as motivated.
And yes, I use the quirks from people I meet at work for character inspiration!
August 21st, 2011 at 7:18 pm
I think you wrote this for me, Cynthia! Because of the economy, my freelance writing job suffered for 1.5 years. The blessing was that I had the time to “try on” the full-time novelist’s hat. The curse was that, despite having that time I simply could not gain momentum with my WIP. Fastforwatd to now, where I am thankfully swimming in work… Yet now I am lamenting the free time I once had and the lack of fiction time I now have. The lesson learned – and really something I always knew about myself- is that I am more productive with my fiction when I am busy. And with anything in life, the same applies: the more I have to do, the more I get done. So your comment “Another part of me secretly suspects that if I didn’t have this pressure to make the most of my writing time—I wouldn’t write nearly as much, or nearly so well.” really applied to me. That’s not to say I don’t long for that full-time fiction opportunity again! The next time around, I will relish this gift for what it is!
August 22nd, 2011 at 7:44 am
My day job is kids. I do child care, and right now I only have one 20 month old. I have more time to write now that my own child is in school, but sometimes you feel like you’re holed up at home with no access to the outside world. I think it can negatively affect my writing, because it’s easy to fall into the blahs.
August 22nd, 2011 at 7:58 am
Stacy, I sure do remember that feeling from when my kids were little. Kinda house-bound and stagnating, at times. It’s good for a writer to get out now and then!
Melissa, Yes, I think I will be more appreciative of any future free time too. Glad to know I’m not the only one who has experienced this feeling!
Kristen, Wow, I didn’t know you worked so many hours! The recorder sounds like a great idea. Glad that’s working for you. I tried it once, but the sound of my own voice messed with my story-telling.
Julia, I totally agree…gotta be happy to be productive. Calm and unstressed.
Hi Aine, Yes, the stress of not being able to pay the mortgage is a surefire story killer. Been there, done that. And don’t want to experience it again. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
August 22nd, 2011 at 8:13 am
Great question, Cynthia! I became a full-time freelance writer in 2006 with my main motivation being that it would give me time to write my novel. It truly did, but it wasn’t necessarily handed to me by my flexible schedule. I still had to make the time to write, and that took a lot of discipline, especially at first, when I was more concerned with getting paying jobs. I found that when I was in a calmer, less stressed state, I was more likely to set aside time for my fiction. When the freelancing slowed down (and you’d think I would use that time for fiction) I spent the majority of it trying to drum up more work.
Also, even though my day job involves writing, it’s a completely different style of writing. Some days it’s a blessing because I’m still practicing my craft, but other days, after hours and hours of sitting at my computer writing articles or marketing copy, the last thing I want to do is sit there a couple hours more, even if it means I get to write fiction. I’ve found a nice work-around, though. Lately I’ve been using my office for writing work and my kitchen table for fiction. I’ve realized that fiction isn’t something I HAVE to write, it’s something I GET to write, and so by treating it as a reward instead of an item on my to-do list, I’m getting much more done!
August 22nd, 2011 at 8:18 am
Clever strategy, Natalia. Yes, we’ve gotta think of it as a ‘treat’. I do think that has something to do with my own attitude toward my writing time. Thanks for commenting!
August 22nd, 2011 at 8:31 am
Hi Cynthia,
First off, I knew you were a writer (from Twitter), but I didn’t realize you were a FELLOW ARIZONA writer.
Nice to know another one! I think this topic comes up with my boyfriend several times a week. Ha!
My day job is media relations and health writing for a company. So, I do feel lucky that I can keep up my writing skills during the day, but it’s still not the full-time creative and journalistic writing to which I’d love to dedicate my life.
You get up at 5 a.m. to write? Geez, I think I may need to take some lessons from you. I may begin trying that a couple of days per week, and see if it helps. Right now, I write on the weekends and sometimes after work, when I have time.
Great post!
Shari
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:26 am
Hi Cynthia, first, yes stretchy hats are great, I have several.
)
Now, the day job. I have done it all ways, full time job, part time job, and now, thanks to the good graces and insistance of my partner, I write. Well, that and walk dogs. I can honestly say, the bloom has not worn off the rose for me. I still love to write.
Prudence
http://prudencemacleod.com/
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:30 am
Wonderful post, Cynthia! I completely agree that the day job helps us delve into and appreciate our writing time; plus, what characters we do meet and what unique conversations we overhear! Thank you for this great reminder; I needed it this week as many plates are a spinnin’.
August 22nd, 2011 at 10:05 am
I don’t have a day job and my children have flown the coop. But having all the time in the world doesn’t seem to help. I agree that working would provide you with lots of fodder. And I believe the truth of the adage that if you want something done, give it to the busiest person you know.
Inertia.
It can be a big problem. It takes great discipline to structure a day and be productive all on your own.
I’ve got to get my own act back together.
August 22nd, 2011 at 10:46 am
Christine: I too have experienced that lack of drive and motivation-when I was a mommy and homemaker. So I know what you mean. Disapline is the ticket! Make a schedule and stick with it.
Jolina: I love the thought of you with plates spinning on the ends of long slender wands. Maybe while standing on the back of a galloping white pony? LOL! Don’t let em drop!
Prudence: LUCKY YOU!! You are very fortunate to be in such a supportive place in your life. But I know you know that!
Shari: Hey, yep, we are both Arizonians. I’m a transplant though, not a native. Mostly love it, except for July & August. Then I have a love/hate thing going on with this state.
You can try getting up early. But you will likely need to hit the sack early the night before. Lemme know how it goes!
Thanks for stopping by, everyone! xoxo
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:15 am
I am definitely in that same position. There’s pros and cons to all sides so maybe somehow it’s better to walk the line between both worlds. Also, with a day job we can have a little more flexibility (hopeful) in the writing projects we take on. But I can’t lie, if I could become a full time writer this second I would
That dragon is so adorable. I would like him to be my pet.
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:19 am
Isn’t he adorable, Sara? I just fell in love with his attitude.
Yes, I walk the line between also. A flexable job helps.
August 22nd, 2011 at 12:50 pm
It’s been a while since I’ve had a ‘day job’ and I no longer have children at home so I’m fortunate enough to be a full time writer. But my creativity lags after about three four hours, so I go on to other things like marketing and research that should help my career. I still have lots of days when I feel like I didn’t get enough done. No mattter what your situation in life is, I think tending to all the hats we wear as writers is a balancing act.
I really admire those of you who work, have children and are still able to write.
August 22nd, 2011 at 5:41 pm
I thought I was the only one who has dreams of winning the lotto and writing full time! LOL
I, too, get up early and try to write before I go off to the day job. The downside to that is often I’ve just gotten immersed in my pages when – bam – it’s time to close up shop and go to the “other” office.
August 23rd, 2011 at 7:56 am
It’s difficult to stop and go to work, Jacque, but morning writing ensures the writing gets done like nothing else can. If I leave it to the end of the day I’m usually too tired to be any use to my characters.
Good to know you’re a morning writer too…not too many of us out there. Whole lotta night owls.
August 22nd, 2011 at 6:53 pm
I can write all day or at any time of the day as I choose. However, I‘m 70 years old and I have never in my life been able to stick to a task for very long even as I was writing a book about attention deficit disorder. So it has never occurred to me that I might want to see if I can sit and write for more than an hour at a time. I have the luxury to return to my desk just about any time I choose. To me, a set time, especially a long set time, to write seems like a curse.
(My wife and I recently cared for our two preschool grandchildren for 8 days. I wrote a little bit at night. I never knew my insomnia was a blessing. I don’t know how anyone with family responsibilities of any kind has time to write at all so I know how lucky I am.)
I agree with Cynthia. Few of us have ideal circumstances, within which we write, but most of us find value in the fullness of our lives and that value makes us the writers that we are. For most of us that is a good thing. Ron Friedman
August 23rd, 2011 at 7:57 am
Ron, whatever you’re doing is working so well, I wouldn’t change anything. You can joke about being 70, but you and your writing amaze me!
August 22nd, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Hi Cynthia,
I wish I could write and read for the most part of my day, but I guess I can’t complain. I am a full-time writer/publisher. For the most part of the day, I work on marketing, mingling (reading blogs) and seeking bookshop owners who might be interested in our children’s books. For about 3 blissful hours of my day, I read and write. (Whoo hoo!)
I tried writing when I was holding another full-time job previously. Didn’t work. Couldn’t work. Because I was constantly bogged down by the grumbles of ‘not spending the most part of my time doing something I love’ and grumbling took a lot of energy out of me! It didn’t make me want to write even more, it made me despair.
So now I turn a blind eye to how much (or less) money I’m earning through publishing and writing, and pay the bills through giving private English lessons to children.
Even though I don’t have much savings now, I haven’t regretted this. =) I know things will work out. Just have to keep working at them, is all.
(You’re right about meeting more people when we hold other jobs than writing. That’s like meeting our potential characters!)
August 23rd, 2011 at 8:01 am
You sound like you’ve found the perfect balance, Claudine! More money will come your way as you continue doing what you love. Good for you!
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:21 pm
I can totally relate to this! I have a full-time day job (not to mention the parenting thing). And although I’m so grateful I am employed, every day I wish I had the leisure to work for myself and write. I have SO many ideas. SO many stories to tell. Books to write. And I know that if I had the time, I could make this successful. But alas, I cannot leave my job because of the money factor. And yes, I envy those that do have the choice. I really just try staying positive and am so grateful I do have my writing and my solitary writing/reading time. If it weren’t for that, I know I would not be nearly as grateful for the day job.
August 23rd, 2011 at 8:07 am
Keep being grateful, Leah. You’ve crafted yourself a wonderful life, as shared with us all on your lovely blog. And keep writing during your private hours.
August 24th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
I ‘only’ work 16 hours a day and have two children. My paid job involves a fair amount of writing as well. I work with a handful of people at a small charity and all of us wear many hats to keep it going. My extra duties include maintaining the work’s blog, facebook page, twitter and website. I also write a quarterly newsletter and work with the media to do various press releases and editorials from time to time. It is sometimes hard to come home after a day of editing or writing to then do more editing or writing.
I wish I had more time to just write and edit my own work but I agree with Leah, at the moment I am very grateful to have a job. There are so many people out there that don’t right now.
August 24th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Billie Jo,
I also work as a communications person for a non-profit, doing work that is remarkably in line with yours. I also find it hard to switch from that professional writing to the more personalized, creative writing. It often helps me to begin my creative writing by hand-writing in a notebook. This change in writing tools and format helps me to feel a sense of being in a different writing mode.
August 25th, 2011 at 12:10 am
Thanks Aline! I do sometimes hand write still. I used to do all my first drafts in a notebook but now I usually do them straight to the computer except for the more descriptive scenes because they seem to flow better when done “the old fashioned way”. I can see where the change in writing modes could help switch off the work day and turn on the creative one. I may try it.
August 29th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
[...] experiment, I wasn’t supposed to be online. Inspired by Cynthia Robertson’s post on whether or not having a day job hinders or helps a writer’s efforts to find time to write, I decided to not have a day job for the day. I completely cleared my calendar on Friday and [...]
September 1st, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Hi Cynthia, I’m glad Melissa Crytzer Fry directed me here, and I see a lot of my social-media friends in your comments field!
This is a topic I’ve wrestled with personally, but Aine’s comment reminded me of a lesson I learned last year when I interviewed more than 40 artists, including writers, across the country. Some had full-time jobs, some part-time, some worked at their art full-time. One thing they all had in common was a dedication to an art-committed life, and they were producing enough art to make my radar and have me interview them. So it can work any way.
As for me, I did creative writing on the side during some jobs, but my last job was running a non-profit, and my dedication to it not only ate up my time but all of my creative energy. Now I’m freelancing, and at first that huge extra time seemed too big, and I wasn’t writing enough creatively. Now I’ve started an MFA, which creates deadlines, and I’m writing more. I might be willing to go back to full-time work if the job were right, but I know now it can’t be one that will demand everything I’ve got.
September 1st, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Hi Patrick, I was just over at your blog! Ha ha!
Yes, i think that’s key: not having a job that demands everything we’ve got. Or, as in my case, doesn’t demand everything i’ve got everyday. I also try to do my creative writing before anything else, since it seems I must be at my best to write anything decent. And I can work at a lower level and still do a really great job at my day job.
Your travel sounds interesting. Good luck with the MFA program.
Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting. Hope to see you here again!
September 2nd, 2011 at 3:15 pm
[...] social media, creative time and life obligations. I strongly recommend these posts by Nina Badzin, Cynthia Robertson, Natalia Sylvester and Julia Munroe Martin. Share [...]
September 15th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Oh gosh. I feel this way EVERY DAY. My day job sucks the life out of me. But I was on the other side of the fence once. When I was pregnant with my daughter (11 years ago!), I quit my job to stay home with my two stepsons while hubby worked. I had gobs of time to write. And did I? No. I squandered most of it. I didn’t finish that novel until three years later when I got a full-time job again. Lesson learned.
My solution, of course, is to have a part-time job and then be able to stay at home and write a few days a week. That’s the goal! I hope to meet it someday…
September 16th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
I found your blog through Diana Douglas’s last post and am so glad I did! I love this post and the conversation here in the comments, probably because I struggle with this every day. I’m one of those full-time day-jobbers who comes homes exhausted and drained. I was doing the 5 am writing thing, but gave that up to work on another goal (fitness), which now means the 5 am wakeup call is for the gym (because I won’t do that after work either.)
On my bad days, I am so envious of those who can stay home to write without financial worries. On my good days, I am grateful for my job and the time I DO have. Ideally, I agree with Melissa. I’d do best with a part-time work situation.
December 3rd, 2011 at 6:25 am
[...] this, if anyone doubts it.) I gave up writing once, for about 10 years, telling myself I needed to make money and focus on my family. But that experiment is a post for another [...]