Can a Writer Make a Living?

At a reading of his poetry, Charles Bukowski was distracted from his glass of whiskey by a student who asked:

“Mr Bukowski, would you recommend choosing writing as a career choice?”

“What?”

“Would you recommend choosing writing as a career choice?”

“Uh, you don't choose writing. Writing chooses you.”

Bukowski may well have made up this exchange to suit one of his short stories but there's little doubt he was asked something just as inane at some point. In an age where there are creative writing programs at university, correspondence writing course ads in every newspaper and where every reader secretly wonders whether they could come up with a book of their own, writing might seem to be an attractive career choice.

The truth that Bukowski and most other writers know is that in 9 out of 10 cases, writers write because they have to. Whether they make any money at it or not, interpreting the world on paper is about the only thing that keeps us sane. Be it a kind of catharsis, a creative explosion or just the opportunity to express yourself without being interrupted, the act of writing is inevitable.

But, gee, it would be nice to make a living at the same time...

The first thing to realise is that most artists have always been poor. Even many of the greats lived in poverty for years or even their entire lifetimes before their books won public acclaim. Even when they got famous they were still often hounded by debitors and dependent on the charity of friends, lovers and publishers. If you're chasing the dream of writing that great novel, expect to be struggling to meet the rent for years to come.

Almost inevitably, when you declare yourself to be a writer, the very first question you'll be asked is:

“But do you have anything published?”

The quality of your work isn't of interest, only if your book has received that magic stamp of existing as a published work. Otherwise, you'll receive a sympathetic smile and perhaps an invitation to look at their blog of poetry written on coffee breaks...

Making a living as an author, a freelance writer or even a poet has always been tough and often has been more about who you know rather than what you can write. Journalists spend a good deal of time schmoozing with the right people to get their commissions and having an uncle as a literary agent is almost a prerequisite to getting a book published.

It's the usual Catch-22. If you're unknown then no one is interested in your work but if you never get anything published you remain an anonymous nobody.

Then along came the internet. Suddenly, the barriers to being published were swept away as anyone who could work out how to use a blog or program html could publish their stories, poetry and articles for all the world to see. If anyone actually wanted to see, naturally. In one fell, technological swoop, the world of publishing and journalism was both weakened and enriched by the flood of amateur writing that clogged up the web within the space of a couple of years. Happily, a writer can now make a living writing on the web but the value of content has also fallen as there are so many people happy to write away for free.

In short, writers are both cursed and blessed to live in interesting times and even if a full income from writing isn't realistic for everyone, you should definitely be able to bring home a few bucks for your words.

But don't forget that writing really isn't about the money. If you wanted to make a decent living by typing out words you could become a secretary or else knock out formula romantic fiction or even advertising copy. But if you really have something to say you'll say it anyway, regardless of whether you join the elite ranks of published writers.