Making Money vs. Doing What You Love

2006 and 2007 were pretty dark years in my life, in a sense. In 2006, I was finishing up my last year of college (I graduated in December) and in 2007, I was on my own, completely, for the first time in my life. I had a strong relationship with a man I loved, a great relationship with my family, and a nice place to live. What I did not have was much money. I spent much of my early college career twitting money away on low-cut clothing, books, and beer, when I had anything left over from paying for loans and other bills. I don’t think I was totally irresponsible, but come my senior year it didn’t matter that I had avoided credit card debt. It mattered that I had no real savings.

Image: sxc.hu

And so, I went into money-making mode. It took me a long time to get out of that mode, and I still think that I’m in it somewhat. It wasn’t about putting my money in the bank and using it to pay for bills as needed from the pot. It was about stressing out because I needed money to transfer faster so I could pay even small bills. I felt like a workhorse, and I got burned out very easily. At the end of working 20-hour days, I’d be so burned out, in fact, that I’d end up blowing that extra money I’d made trying to unwind with movies, eating out, going on roadtrips, and so forth. Can you say “vicious cycle”?

I know many writers out there who are in constant need of money. Sometimes, I still feel like that, even though my financial situation has vastly improved over the past two years. There’s no reason, though, that you should be constantly struggling as a freelancer. Making money might be necessary, but is that the reason that you write?

Or, do you do it because that’s what you love?

If you are always just a step ahead of the bill collectors nipping at your heels, maybe it’s time to step back and reevaluate what you’re doing. When you first start, I understand the need to get your head above water, but after one to two years in the industry, you shouldn’t always feel stressed about money, at least not to the point where you have NO savings at all. Ask yourself:

• Am I truly a good writer? Is this the career that is the best fit for my skills?
• Do I spend my money wisely? Are there places where I should be saving instead of spending?
• Am I taking jobs that are below me? Should I be charging more for my work due to quality and the time I put into each project?
• Do I have enough focus to freelance? Am I making a poor hourly wage because I spend too much time surfing the web, playing with the kids, watching TV, etc.?
• Do I have a secure plan for funds when there are slow periods, like a spouse’s income or a part time job with a steady paycheck?
• When is the last time I worked on a personal writing project?

Freelancing isn’t for everyone. In fact, it isn’t for most people. It actually makes me angry when I see how many people are online “pretending” to be writers because they want a stay-at-home job. Writing your annual Christmas letter does not qualify you to be a professional writer. That’s an argument for another day, though.

What’s I’m trying to say here is this: do not keep throwing yourself against a wall again and again trying to break through when you could just as easily walk around the wall to the gate. In other words, do not convince yourself that you have to be a freelancer because you love writing. If you aren’t making enough money to maintain the life quality you want, though, another career choice might make more sense.

That doesn’t mean you can’t be a writer! Doing what you love is still possible if you have a more stable job during the day. Writing is possible on weekends or on your lunch break or while you’re riding the bus to your new job. It isn’t like other hobbies like rock-climbing or stamp collecting. If you have a piece of paper and a pen, you can write. For some reason, people are obsessed with this idea that you have to love your job. You don’t. You have to be good at your job. For a lucky few, those two things match up, but for most they do not. I’m not suggesting that it is good to hate your job, but at the same time, you shouldn’t be infatuated with the idea that you need to make money at the the hobby you enjoy the most. In ancient times, in fact, they would have laughed at us. You do the job for which you’re best; you do what you love on your own time.

And you’ll probably enjoy it more when you can write what you want, rather than depending on your words for money.

Please don’t take my advice here to mean that you should just give up now. I’m not trying to be negative or discourage you. You may be a very fine writer, and you just need to adjust your prices and budget. At the end of the day, though, there’s nothing wrong with admitting that writing is what you love, but not how you’re cut out to make money. Remember that, and evaluate your career choice continuously.