beginnings
how I got started | All my life I've been writing. It's the only
job I ever wanted. When I was sixteen I finished my first novel. When I
was twenty-five I finally published one. At thirty-five, I can be
reasonably sure that whatever I hand my editor will make it onto the
shelf at Waterstones. Struggle? You cannot begin to imagine!
inspiration
why this job?| As above, it's the only job I ever really wanted.
It's also something I would be doing whether it could be classed as a
job or not. I think it's just in the blood - like music or painting or
anything else in the arts.
love
why I love this job!| That I'm self-employed; that I make my own hours; that it's something I love to do.
work
my typical day| Get up. Make lunch for 2-year-old & pack his
babysitter bag. Feed, turn out and muck out horse. Eat breakfast, if
there's time. Plait 6-year-old's hair, take her to school. Come home.
Make tea. Write madly for three hours, jacked up on tea. Save & back
up. Do the horse's feed, hay and water. Pick up 2-year-old from
babysitter. Take him home, spend some quality time, put him down for
nap. Write madly for another hour or so - usually a separate project.
Wake up 2-year-old. Pick up 6-year-old. Try to survive til 5:30 when
Daddy comes home. When Daddy comes home, open bottle of Sauv Blanc. Do
dinner, baths, bed. Write madly for the rest of the evening, assuming
there's nothing decent on TV.
challenges
what they are | There's no one to motivate you but yourself. The
returns are always speculative - you might put in two years - work and
get nothing back. It is a very difficult business to get into, and even
when you do it can be brutally discouraging. Oh, and did I mention that
you can be a "successful author" and still be unable to support a family
on your income? ! But it comes down to how hard you're willing to work,
and luck.
upside
all about growth | Theoretically limitless!
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