When I was a child, my top 3 career choices were actor, writer, and mad scientist. After I realized the first and last option were probably not going to pan out, I put all my focus on becoming an author.
In the 6th grade we had Career Day, and an actual author came to speak to my class. I remember the entire experience being woefully underwhelming. Though we were a class of 11 year-olds, the school could only snag a woman who wrote erotic fiction, and thus she couldn’t even share her works with us!
What stuck with me most was when she spoke about money. “Don’t quit your day job,” she lamented, and then went on to say she only made about $0.60 per book.
After that encounter, I was hesitant to devote my future to a career in writing. Besides, I was doing well in school — why should I limit myself to something that wouldn’t pay the bills when I was adult?
Perhaps this was the intent of my school, to subliminally discourage a pursuit that didn’t follow the traditional path of doctor, lawyer or engineer — who knows?
What I do know is when it came time to choose a college major, I didn’t even consider a stream in the creative arts. instead, I opted for the more demanding, science-focused course load of an undergraduate in chemistry. (How that panned out is another story entirely).
I don’t regret listening to that writer 20 years ago, but I often wonder how serious would I have placed my writing after Career Day had my school chose a more enthusiastic speaking subject. Her fear-mongering may have prevented me from considering author as a viable profession, but as an adult, the voice inside me still screams that this is my true calling.
I have a full-time job that pays the bills, but it doesn’t feed my passion quite like writing. I’ve reached the stage in my life where I could sell a book and make only 60 cents, and that would make me happier than anything else.Because I know that if at least one person is interested in what I have to say, I feel like I’m making a difference in my own small way.
One of the first and foremost lessons to learn on the journey to becoming an author is to not do it for the money. If you have a story to tell, it shouldn’t matter whether you profit from it or not.
What matters is that you are able to manifest your ideas in a tangible way that can impact other people’s lives. And that’s worth more than all the money in the world.
So sure — don’t quit your day job. But whatever your passion — be it writing, drawing, acting, sculpting, or some form of competitive philately — don’t ever let the financial potential or lack thereof deter you from achieving your dreams.
What about you? What is it that drives you, regardless of whether or not it can snag you those sweet, sweet dolla dolla bills?
