On last week’s episode of Girls, Hannah got a temporary day job in GQ’s advertorial department, where she had a taste of success (as well as free snacks).
Her fellow co-workers were fellow aspiring writers, and during a slightly fraught break room chat, they revealed that all of their writing successes came before they had a day job. Hannah quits, not wanting to wake up in ten years having failed to pursue her real writing, but later decides to try to have it both ways and vows to write three hours every night.
I’m sure this episode rang true for many a writer. Barring some sort of independent wealth or a generous benefactor, there are really only two choices:
- Quit/scale back your day job to have more time to write, plunging yourself into financial uncertainty.
- Keep your day job and carve out time for writing in the margins, plunging yourself into creative uncertainty.
There are pros and cons of both courses of actions, of course, and I know writers on both ends of the spectrum. Some writers I know cobble together a freelance life to maintain maximum flexibility while just getting by financially, which gives them enough time to write.
I have thrown myself into my day jobs.
I probably could, in theory, quit my day job, combine my books income with some writing/editing consulting on the side and cobble together a reasonable living with more time to write. But here’s the thing: I like having a career.
It’s not just about having a steady paycheck and benefits, which are nothing at all to sneeze at. Having financial security takes a ton of the pressure off of writing, and I completely recognize how fortunate I am in this day and age to even have a good job, especially one where I feel like I’m helping accomplish a greater good.
For me, one of the most important reasons I like having a day job is balance:
- Writing can be solitary — I like going into an office, having a routine, seeing coworkers I like every day, and getting out of my own head.
- Writing can be frustrating — I like having something else I’m invested in, particularly in an arena where one’s effort is often more closely tied to tangible results.
And when one is down and gets difficult, often the other is up. It’s sort of like having multiple horses in the race. When the writing is tough, it can be nice to go into the office on Monday and feel like I’m not living and dying by the publishing world. When I have a rough day in the office it’s nice to be able to go home and write and feel like I have another iron in the fire.
The main drawback of writing with a day job is that it requires a huge amount of discipline. I have to give up things I might otherwise like doing. Namely, enjoying my weekends and many of my weeknights. Instead of going skiing as much as I like or staying in and binging on Netflix I have to convert to what is essentially a six or seven day workweek.
Again, I should be so lucky. And I don’t know how this will work once I have a family.
But if you’re in a similar position, just know that you really don’t have to quit your day job to write. There’s enough time in the day, provided you take advantage of those slivers of time you have available and press forward even when you get tired.
Anyone else out there struggling with this dilemma? How do you make things work?
Art: Hay Harvest at Éragny by Camille Pissarro
I've had a day job since I wrote my first novel back in 2008. Now my third novel is about to be published. I can cope with that – just. What's much harder is balancing that with looking after a 2 year old! With childcare costs in the OK being so prohibitive and with no tax relief for self-employed authors it means keeping the day job at least until he's three (when nursery vouchers are available).
Oops, that should say 'in the UK'
It's a terrible dilemma, isn't it? If I throw myself into my career 100%, I'm too tired to write yet, if I don't put the hours in writing, I feel as if work is a temptress luring me away from the novel(s) and I want to cut her skinny throat. It seems what we all do is sacrifice our "free" time so we can write, but then, when we emerge all bleary-eyed from our ink-spattered caves, we find we've got no party invites and all our friends have become acquaintances. Why do we do it? Because we love it, and as the saying goes… love will find a way…
I had to give up work when I had my son, and now couldn't get back into work even if I wanted to because the childcare costs would wipe out anything I earned and then some. All of which means I'm now a full-time mum – which a lot of people seem to think means I 'don't work at all.' (That's right, my life is just day after day of sitting around on my ass doing nothing at all while my kid's at school – lucky, lucky me!)
/end rant. Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah…
I have about two hours a day designated to 'writing time,' and I track it using an Excel spreadsheet I created for the purpose. There's something about seeing the 'evidence' of your time at the coalface right in front of you week to week that makes you more inclined to stick to it (you can lie to everyone else but YOU CAN'T LIE TO YOURSELF.) It's how I finally managed to get a draft one completed of a novel, and how I'm still pursuing the draft two – not to mention maintaining a weekly blog and other, smaller writing projects. I do miss the face-to-face contact with other humans though. Most other mums in my area work, and it seems there are NO writers' groups in my home town at all (I've even been into my local library to ask if they'd start one; they put up notices and stuff, but got no response at all.) So I have to get my writer-socials online. Thank god for the interweb!
I know I *should* like having a career. Especially when I've been so lucky as to be able to support myself as a writer professionally in the creative field of marketing & PR.
But I just really do not enjoy having a career while balancing my writing most of the time. I do it for the stability of a paycheck and benefits. Which, as you so aptly point out, is nothing to sneeze at. Like you, Nathan, I do at least know I'm very lucky to have the career I do, even if office dynamics do drive me nuts.
But I manage to be pretty satisfied creatively anyway, and I am so grateful to my writing for this. By the end of the day I am totally drained mentally and creatively, so I started working out at night and instead waking up early to write before work, when my brain is still fresh. This has proven to be a powerful habit and it's lasted me three years so far, and will likely go on my entire life. Even if I were able to transition to just writing fiction full-time, I would probably keep waking up at 5 a.m. anyway because I enjoy those quiet pre-sun hours so much!
The PIssarro caught my eye right away 😉
For me, the best I've been able to come up with, since I still need income from outside writing to get by, at least with the expense of living in Austin, is alternate periods of time where I work with when I write, but in terms of weeks and/or months.
When I do have to work, it's usually full time, and during that time, I read more, outline new work more, and tend to create (if anything) mostly either short stories or poetry – the continuity of the flow of feeling and thought being most important to me when creating finished work.
In Vermont, I was able to work part time, leading senior fitness classes, that I was able to continue good productivity with novellas and even a novel or two.
There is something to what you mention about being able to go from one activity that one has tired of, creative work or job work, using each as escapes from the other.
But I found that for me, if I could get regular part time fitness work, like I did with the Y in Vermont, that would be best, keeping me active & fitness and diversified 😉 while leaving enough time and energy to do creative work.
Sounds like your balance works great for you Nathan, hope it continues to be so – best wishes 🙂
Great article, thank you for posting. It's can be difficult to balance work and creativity.
As a freelance writer (web content and resumes, mostly), my business has its busy and slow points. After being self-employed for a while now, I'm finally getting used to the ups and downs and am able to use the "down" times to focus on songwriting and visual art. It takes a leap of faith each time, but that feeling has waned over time as I've been through it many times. This lifestyle has allowed me to achieve a true sense of balance in my life – my work informs my art and vice versa. I feel very blessed.
I must say, my husband has an amazing job with benefits and this has allowed me to continue doing what I love to do.
Before we were together, I did make sacrifices to make this lifestyle work so I've been on that end of things as well. I lived in a small studio, didn't have a TV/cable (still don't), and shopped at thrift stores. For fun, I'd go out and listen to live music or go to cafes to read, and I took walks with friends rather than going to expensive restaurants, etc.
I think everyone has their own "rhythm" and it's important to learn what makes you tick. Working is essential no matter what, it pays the bills and perhaps most importantly, keeps us connected to the outside world – otherwise, what would you write about? 😉
I work full-time, so when I finally decided to write my first MS, my husband didn't see me for three months, and then more after that during round one of edits. ^_^ I can't really say how I make it work, but I do. When I want to write, I write. I sacrifice my "free" time and dvr tv or forgo playing a new video game. My husband and I make the most of the time we do spend together and sometimes I'll plug in my noise-canceling headphones and write in the living room while he watches tv. We're still spending time together, even if we aren't doing the same thing.
I was having a long conversation with a friend about this same issue recently.
In a way, my husband subsidizes my writing career while the flexibility of my writing career allows him to climb his career ladder. Of course we have children, so my time isn't unlimited, but I've found 5 hours a day is enough to make a huge difference.
My writing has consistently improved and while I have yet to sign a great big book deal, at least my latest book is out on submission with a great agent. I chalk this up to those five hours a day.
However, if I had unlimited time, no kiddies demanding me to schlepp them from point A-B, I think I'd go back to work because that great expanse of days without anything to break it up would be almost more daunting than trying to find the time to write and balance that with a career.
Maybe, like so many things in life it's all about the right balance. For the moment, mine is working well for me.
And it sounds like yours is too. 🙂
I laughed (more like a snort) when I read your blog yesterday. As I was reading it on my device my son spilled a bag of rice on the kitchen floor, dinner was cooking, I was fretting about the 50 things I had not accomplished during the 8 hours that ran past me at work, and longingly looked at my half finished painting, thinking, Johann, please go go bed early tonight so that I can write and paint. This is all tongue in cheek because in actuality I love my life and the chaotic way it all fits so nicely together.
The only advice I can offer you and others as they navigate through the complexity of "work life balance" or "work write balance" is this (this only applies to those that need or want day jobs): Ensure that you are so damned good at your day job that you can make the rules.
Because I've become really good at my day job, I dictate/command my bill rate, dictate/command when I work (M-F 6-2), dictate/command work arrangements (I work from home because I need the solitude) and make sure I do a good job. This offers me financial security, precious time with my son, and when he sleeps, I turn into a self centered creative that makes whatever her heart desires. One can find balance!
I laughed (more like a snort) when I read your blog yesterday. As I was reading it on my device my son spilled a bag of rice on the kitchen floor, dinner was cooking, I was fretting about the 50 things I had not accomplished during the 8 hours that ran past me at work, and longingly looked at my half finished painting, thinking, Johann, please go go bed early tonight so that I can write and paint. This is all tongue in cheek because in actuality I love my life and the chaotic way it all fits so nicely together.
The only advice I can offer you and others as they navigate through the complexity of "work life balance" or "work write balance" is this (this only applies to those that need or want day jobs): Ensure that you are so damned good at your day job that you can make the rules.
Because I've become really good at my day job, I dictate/command my bill rate, dictate/command when I work (M-F 6-2), dictate/command work arrangements (I work from home because I need the solitude) and make sure I do a good job. This offers me financial security, precious time with my son, and when he sleeps, I turn into a self centered creative that makes whatever her heart desires. One can find balance!
How many balls can you juggle and for how long?
And maybe it’s not so much balls as eggs. Eggs that can crack and make a big mess.
For the longest time, I thought I was going to have a career in politics. (Never mind the unfinished manuscripts piling beneath my bed since I was eight years old.) I was going to run for office so that I could make a difference on a bigger scale. I pursued a bachelor’s in public policy, then a master’s. I did internship after internship. I enrolled in a program that encouraged and supported women to pursue public office. It was a wonderful program packed with inspirational speakers and tons of information on how to launch one’s political career.
I finished the program and decided that I would not run for office.
I had heard from too many female elected officials whose marriages had ended in divorce. It seemed the majority of those that were successful and still had a family in tact had started their careers after their children were grown or much older.
I had to have a full-time job to make ends meet, and the bottom of a political career ladder pays next to nothing, but I managed to fit in a decent amount of creative writing. That changed dramatically after my first child was born. Now I was juggling a job, a baby, a marriage (yes, a baby brings you closer as a couple but it also puts stress on the relationship—I highly recommend Gottman’s "And Baby Makes Three" for those embarking down this path), keeping up with family and friends, the activities of daily life (e.g. trying to cook a healthy meal and not defaulting to frozen pizza, working out, flossing, and many other things too easy to neglect), and, oh yes, writing. And something called sleep.
So my writing career hasn’t taken off as much as I would have liked. But I have to be okay with that because I made choices, I have a set of responsibilities, and I have limitations. Sure, there are super-women and super-men out there that seem to juggle it all—maybe they even do it without resorting to throwing down gallons of high-energy drinks and without teetering on the edge of insanity. But I’ve, thankfully, stopped trying to be a super-woman.
Someone once told me, “You can have it all. Just not all at once.”
Truth is, I still try to have as much as possible at one time. I cram as much as I can into 24 hours even while I decry Cadillac’s new commercial exalting the workaholic American over the more laid-back (and less materialistic?) European.
So, I’m not sure there’s an answer or morale to the story in this long post, but I appreciate the opportunity to think on this dilemma and to remind myself to have patience and to manage my expectations. I figure that’s the best I can do, unless I want to make myself miserable. I have to be okay when something gives and if I end up with a little yolk on my face now and then.
Every writer needs to find the time to write that best works for them. I write at night, when the world is slumbering and the house is quiet. I don't know why it works for me, but night time gives me the opportunity to be at my best.
I admire those that can squeeze in writing whenever possible.
I usually write early in the mornings! When my muse really kicks in, I can get up as early as four AM and get 3 hours of writing done before going to work. I don't write much in the evenings. I'm too tired – my job is sometimes stressful, especially when we're closing our ledger at year-end and during an audit (I'm an accountant).
I do write on weekends. My evening and weekend time is somewhat limited because of my son's sports activities and practices.
I love having a steady paycheck and health benefits. I know for a fact if I quit my day job, I'd fail making a living as a full-time writer.
For me, it's writing while studying — I'm in full-time education, so while there's no financial aspect of it, it's definitely a case of, "Do I want a social life? Is writing more important than getting a top grade in this essay? What's my priority today?" In the past, I've always put writing first, figuring that it's a more direct link to my career, but at the moment I'm scaling back on how much I write to concentrate on my exams, which will decide my future as far as uni is concerned, so they're kind of important.
As a student, I have it easy: I don't have to pay any bills, and I probably have more time at home than those who work, although it's split between homework and extra-curricular activities. It's definitely still a balancing act, though, and it's really hard.
Extreme time management! I'm currently working ~45 hours per week between three jobs, but I managed to wiggle all three jobs into Monday through Friday. After work I'm pretty tired, so I plunk onto the couch with my husband and I read a book while he plays video games or watches TV. It's passive, I absorb some words and another writer's craft, and I can still keep up a conversation with the hubs.
On Sundays I do all of my cleaning, errands, seeing the friends and family, whatever.
That leaves me one day to write: Saturday. And Saturday is sacrosanct. It's the only day of the week I drink coffee–making it super effective! I get up by 7 a.m. and then stay on the computer all day and sometimes all night. On good days I knock out 20 or 30 pages. By the end of the day I am wrung out, but I have six days to rejuvenate for the next round.
Alllll of this is going to change when we start having kids. I'll retool the system when I have to.
Sadly, I had to slaughter my family.
I like having a career too, but that career is writing! If I could quit my day job, which is only partly a writing job, I would. I'd be able to write my own stuff all day long. Heaven.
Well said. Life is about tradeoffs, and everyone needs to find their own path. I wish everyone did a better job of respecting the choices other people make.
I was a nook and cranny writer, squeezing my writing into late nights and early mornings until I was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer either gave me clarity, or made me crazy- probably a little of both! I quit, I mean put school on hold (putting it on hold sounds slightly more impressive than quitting), and decided to chase after my dream. I haven't regretted a moment!
My husband is the breadwinner, so it has given me the chance to stay home, put a lot of time into my family and community, and write my heart out! To help pay the bills I substitute teach, which allows me to take a subbing job if we need the extra money, or stay home if i want to write.
Regardless if I ever get published or not, I won't regret the time I've spent doing what I love, and giving my dream of becoming a published author a shot! (If need be, I can always finish out that degree, right?)
This is a really great post – it's important to create your own goals and stick to them because there is no 'correct' way to go about writing! If a person wants to write, then there's no reason why they shouldn't – even if it's on the side of their central career.
Nice Post! thanks for sharing…
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I was a freelance writer making a decent full time living, but left it to go back to work full-time in a non-writing job as an employee. Best thing I ever did,because now I can write what I want instead of writing something purely because someone else is paying me for it.