The Writer's Life for Me

Every day I go to work. Every day after work, I come home and I write. What do I write? I work on my young adult novel and send it to publishers. I work on all 36 of my freelancing jobs in hopes that I can make at least $20 on them for the week. I work on the social media content for the Canadian firm that I work for. I work on graduate schoolwork. In a nutshell, I am always writing.

When did writing become the way that I wanted to make money? About 15 years ago; we will not mention how old I was then. I started my own website and I interviewed all of my favorites DJs, artists, and musicians. Then I hired on interns because I could not do it all by myself. I loved every aspect of this time with my website. I had it up and running for about two years and life got in the way. I got busy. Fast forward to about two years ago in Richmond, Virginia.

Two years ago, I thought it was the best thing in the world when I helped to co-author a history book. I thought, "This is it. It's happening, and before I'm 40!" Well, that was it. I had so much momentum at that point. I wanted to just keep writing every day until I struck it rich. Well, for your information, writing a history book is not the way to strike it rich. I have made less than $200 on the royalties of that book, but hey, I got published. Right?

That's when I started to look each day for new writing jobs. I knew that this is what I wanted to do, but I didn't know how to make my dream a reality. I have not quit my day job, so I am not struggling with paying the things that matter: food, clothing, and shelter. However, part of me is ready to be my own boss, so to speak. I want to work on the schedule that works for my lifestyle and me. I keep working hard to make it happen, too!

Each day is a struggle for me to make extra money. I find any and every freelancing job possible and apply for it. I guess that's the thing; there are hoards of people who work from home and probably spend way more time on their computers than I do. But are they making a living wage off of writing alone? I think it is possible that they are. That makes me envious, for sure.

There are many things I know when it comes to writing. Trying to find the high paying jobs is tough, but they are out there. I just have to keep on trying. There are websites all over the world that will take your money and promise you jobs; never pay company money to help you find work. That is counterproductive, especially if you're broke.

Making the choice to be a freelance writer was mine and mine alone. It is tough to find those high paying jobs, but I feel that by working hard and not taking "no" for an answer, I will succeed. You can too.

I personally feel that writing is a lost art with the way technology can correct anything now, so that is why I continue to do it. So what is the moral of my story? Take time to live out your dreams, whatever they may be. It sounds cliche, but once you realize that it is what your calling is, nothing can stop you from doing it and doing it well.