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Should Authors have a plan B?
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[deleted user]
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Aug 27, 2015 12:49PM
No backup plan
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I have found your best authors went out into the world and lived a little before they wrote anything. That's most. You most certainly need a way to feed yourself. I know dozens of authors. All except one supplements their income by editing, cover designing or like me, marry up. A successful spouse can give you those opportunities. It takes years to develop a good reputation and or a following. You are going to want to eat. Your aunt apparently didn't get old watching TV, she's pretty bright. I wouldn't call it plan B. I would call it plan A1. If you are a writer, you'll always be a writer but survival comes first.
Mod
So, while I agree with the statement about keeping your eyes on the prize, having a backup just means you're prepared for the worst. And that never hurts.
I was once told never to put your eggs in one basket. Always have a plan from A to Z. But, I always intended on my writing being a full time-career but, I have other things I do beside just my writing which will always be my first love and I will never be able to abandon it. I've tried and failed at that. Writing is in my blood. But, what I would say Joseph is have other creative ideas. Like I've decided to offer Ghostwriting and Editing Services (charge) for other authors, I've also been promoting other authors (free of charge) and I have business ideas for certain inventions and numerous companies I've created, including my own network and production company, which I am in the process of getting off the ground.
I say have branches to your writing not just writing itself. I've done the starving writer thing many times (25 years as an author) and I'm still doing it, which is harder when you're a mom and have an eight year old son who is autistic/nonverbal and you have to cut corners so both of you can survive, which is where my life is right now. That kind of life is hard even if you don't have another mouth to feed like me. It's really no fun at all.
But, writing is still my top career and I still do it full time but, always have other ideas to support yourself, even if writing does work out. Doing this will also build connections and networks for your writing career.
Even if you keep your eye on the prize, authorship is a long, dusty, dark road. And you're crawling on your hands and knees without a flashlight. And the prize could be 5 feet in front of you, or 10 miles behind you.
Angel wrote: "I was once told never to put your eggs in one basket. Always have a plan from A to Z. But, I always intended on my writing being a full time-career but, I have other things I do beside just my writ..."Great advice. Be fluid.
I agree with BB, Charles. And thanks my mom gave me that advice!
I like what Angel wrote: Always have a plan. But I would add: expect your plan to change at any time. Ten years ago I was in the process of losing my job and had started putting in motion a plan to use this as an opportunity to finally move to New Orleans. Yes, ten years ago, meaning that plan took a complete 180 due to circumstances that did not hinge at all on my own success or failure.
And I'll reinforce what I said on your other topic about quitting: Don't burn bridges. You could quit your job, become an instant success, ranking in a living plus, only to find that a month later, you're back at the bottom of the pile and wondering how you're going to afford ramen.
Now, as far as having a "fallback plan" in the form of a formal education to gain "marketable" skills, I can't really get behind that. There are plenty of ways to "get by" without wasting money to gain skills for a job you already know you don't want. There are plenty of entry level and trade jobs for when you need to pay the rent.
Always have a plan B. For me, writing is not plan A though. At present pace, I write two novels a year. The extra cash is nice. I do not see quitting my job any time soon. I make too much money for that.So I will enjoy writing.
I agree with Christina. Plans do change. Try to stay a step ahead if you can. I always have thought quick on my feet when life throws a wrench in things. But, it's not without struggle or hardship of some kind. Enjoy the journey it takes to get there and the rest will follow. We tend to forget about the journey, we only care about being there already. Some form of a plan or plans is best. Or some ideas would be a wiser choice. You don't want regrets later.
I'd love to just write full-time. But the fact of the matter is, I have bills to pay. So I have a job that pays them. But I don't have a major career planned aside from being a writer. I'll keep a job as long as I need to in order to pay the bills but I won't dedicate a lot of time to building a career that isn't writing.
My day job is plan A. Writing is a side job that makes me insanely happy. If I ever get lucky enough to replace my day job income with writing income, I'd be thrilled. I'd love to write full time, but I'm not going to hold my breath. The extra money is great, and I use it to accomplish important financial goals.
I don't know your life situation. If you're a youngman (one word) without a lot of debt and obligations, then try, try, try to make a living at it. In every possible market you can. Kurt Vonnegut wrote advertising copy before he started writing short stories for magazines, and later novels.But today's market is really, really tough. No one's seriously looking for new young talent. No one who pays decent $$ that is. So you're pretty much totally on your own to find your way.
OTOH, how are you going to have a "backup plan" without actually going out and getting the job experience you need to exercise that plan? I graduated with a degree in Art (landscape painting). Never was able to make a living from it. I switched into music and dabbled in writing. Ditto, no living wage.
Along the way I did whatever work I had to to make ends meet...I accidentally fell into a job with a major US corporation. A shitty, soul grinding, low-ish paid job but one that allowed me to at least keep eating.
23 years later I woke up and realized I was only 7 years away from retirement age and have progressed hardly at all in my creative work. Over those years my "pay the bills" job got a lot better and better paid, but it's still not what I want to do full time. So I focus my creative time now on writing/self-publishing and have turned THAT into Plan B.
The moral is: grab life now. Playing it safe most often will simply lull you into a daily grind that will go on for decades without you even noticing it. Do all you can to make your dreams come true now, but don't expect miracles. You have to work harder than everybody else, you have to make change and progress happen not sit around waiting for the world to drop it in your lap.
You can always find a soul sucking job later if you absolutely have to. Take the risk. Fall on your face. Pick yourself up (dust yourself off, start all over again).
And above all, don't let a bunch of random strangers online tell you what to do!
D'OH!
Good point, Micah. It all depends on your stage in life. If I was young and didn't have a child and responsibilities, I'd live in a closet and eat rice and beans so I could afford to write full time. But that's not where I am in life right now. I have a mortgage, a child, four dogs, two cats... and they like to eat and have a roof over their heads. I'm good with that right now. My time will come some day when I can downsize into the closet and buy a rice cooker. :) In the meanwhile, I write EVERY SINGLE DAY, between cooking dinner, feeding a child and pets, and doing the dishes and laundry. :)
Micah wrote: "And above all, don't let a bunch of random strangers online tell you what to do!"I totally agree with Micah. Joseph, you are the only one who knows what's right for you. You just have to accept the consequences of all your decisions and actions.
I didn't 'discover' I was a writer until I was in my 30s, when I was too far down the mortgage & kids road to switch careers, so writing became my Plan B. But now I have finally been published, I'm trying to transition into it.I absolutely would have gone for it if I had been younger. My 20 year old daughter is pursuing an acting career and we have told her to throw everything into it. You only live once.
And I absolutely agree with Micah. The internet is chock full of opinions, not advice. It's your life, so YOU get to decide how you live it.
Steve wrote: " It's your life, so YOU get to decide how you live it."Rock 'N' Roll, baby!
Joseph wrote: "Yes, thank you guys. I'll apologize for over looking that some have mortgages and other responsibilities. I meant more as a starting off point."I will say one thing. When I was young (and unencumbered), I was too immature to be a good writer. Writers get better with age, with experience, with seasoning. IMO...
I think it's always a good idea to have a plan B, just so long as you don't end up going immediately for plan B and setting plan A aside for "later." If anything, plan B should be something that also helps make plan A possible. Whatever your plan B is, plan A should still be the main focus.
Mod
I think authors should only do what is right for themselves and their situation. There's no harm in taking another job or even pursuing another career while you are a writer. Many people have two jobs. Why shouldn't authors?
In my case, it provides more income so all the bill paying doesn't fall on my wife's shoulders. It gets me out of the house. I get out and interact with others. I find ideas to write about. I gain experiences I can write about. It gives me time to think about where I want to go next in my projects. It gives me a break from writing.
I think even if I were to make it big and didn't have to work any longer, I still would, at least part time or doing volunteer work.
I believe in plan B so much that I took one this morning.
Mod
Really? Good for you!
Personally, if Plan B doesn't work (so far it is) I have a Plan C, a Plan D and a Plan E. I was very nearly homeless at one time in my life and I do not aim to let that happen again.
I didn't know they had a plan c, d, and e pill. Plan B has always worked the first time, every time.
About plan B's, what if you already had a viable source of earning before you started writing? Say freelance video editing? Wouldn't it ease the worries of thinking about sustenance?I learnt Leornado had a day job, and painted the Sistine Chapel only at night for four years.
Not only that but it could possibly open a lot of doors via networking. If nothing else, you could choose a plan b to compliment your authorship like marketing or editing.
Absolutely. I forgot the networking bit.
I'm just the messenger, and the messages I bring are these: There is no plan A or B, there are only plans. If you are not passionate about a plan, don't call it plan B, call it something that you have little reason to do and don't do it.Reasons for money: Are you passionate about money? Do you need it? If the answer is yes, do something about it.
For writing: Are you passionate about writing? If the answer is yes, then do it.
For relying on hope and luck: Have hope and luck been kind to you? If yes, then rely on them.
For a fulfilled life: Do you feel fulfilled by writing? If so, then do nothing else.
If you are not passionate enough about writing, if you have any doubt about it, the readers will see it.
So, find your reasons to do something, and be true to yourself. If you find a reason for it, then do it, if you find reasons for them, then do them all.
A writing career generally takes years to develop - in the meanwhile, we have lives to live, bills to pay, mouths to feed (at least our own, if not others'). Realizing success as a writer is not an overnight thing. It's a long-term marathon. The ones who make it overnight are extremely rare.
For me it's simple,Writing is my Plan A and Plan B! (:
Bill wrote: "I learnt Leornado had a day job, and painted the Sistine Chapel only at night for four years."Um...you either learnt wrong or are from an alternate universe.
Mod
Not sure I follow some of your message. Calling something "Plan B" doesn't indicate there's no passion for it and doesn't diminish the passion one may have for writing.
This part: "For a fulfilled life: Do you feel fulfilled by writing? If so, then do nothing else." I feel fulfilled by many things. Writing is one of them. It's one of my strongest passions, true, but it is not my only one. I have a great deal of passion for my wife, my belief system, my dogs, my family, my job, this group... I don't have much passion for writing an extremely long list right now so we'll leave it at that.
This bit of advice may work for you, but it's not a one-size-fits-all bit of advice. For me, if I ignored my other passions and only wrote, I am not sure what I would write about. The writing may be a fire in me, but I need something to fuel it.
I'd love to be able to write full-time, but it's not exactly a plan, as such. It's my end goal, but I'm not quitting my day job; instead, I'm working full time and writing whenever and wherever I can; blog posts, future books and handwritten drafts. If it pays off and I CAN quit the day job, fantastic - if not, I have a bit of pocket money coming in nontheless (in theory :P). PLUS, without one of my jobs, there's no way I ever would have been able to write Spellbound... so it's led to all good things :D xx
Dwayne, I can understand, this is a writers' group. I wasn't saying that a full time writer meant he/she wrote all the time, I was saying the exact opposite. Stating that you have plan A and B and C implicates that one of those plans is better than the other, and this I oppose.A full-time writer can also mean he/she does all those plans.
I encourage you all to be full-time writers, and still get the same benefits as a clerk, a lawyer, a lover, a parent, a pilot does.
writing *was* my plan c. because I'm a computer engineer by trade (plan b). do i get paid though? rarely because i live in the poorest neighborhood in a cheap former industrial town. though my rates are the lowest i still get complaints I'm "too expensive" -_- plan a was secretary. -_-
Writing is my Plan B! It is my attempt at escaping the prospect of counting beans until I forget what the numbers mean.
Because I could spend 80 hours a week working on my books and promoting them, but if the tally says 5 sales at the end of the week, my family doesn't eat. Maybe if I was still younger and single, that potential would be something to jump at, but in short, I simply can't afford to at this point.
Mod
Joseph, just because no one else is throwing caution to the wind and giving up their day jobs to do nothing but write does NOT mean they have no confidence in themselves.
You don't have to "get it". If you want to write and do nothing but write, that is fine. It's your choice, it's your life. But, this conversation is, at times, getting close to feeling as if people are saying, "if you don't do it my way, there's something wrong with you." We're all doing it the way we feel is best for us. It is not my place to tell you to listen to your aunt and go get a job and it is not your place to tell anyone that they have no confidence and they must make sacrifices and follow through.
I wish you grand success as I do anyone here. But, let's stick to talking about our own plans and schemes and respecting those of others.
Joseph wrote: "Yeah, they'll be struggles and yeah we'll fail a lot, but why does that translate into not making it your life's purpose if it's what you want to spend 40 hrs a week doing? I understand if it's not, or there are other obligations that forbid, but if there aren't--where's the ignorant blind faith in being successful at this? "Joseph, I understand where you're coming from. But it sounds like you don't have any dependents to feed, clothe, house, educate, and provide health care for. I think this is a "stage of life" issue. My family comes first - their security and stability. I'm a single parent - the buck stops with me. I don't do anything by "ignorant blind faith" as you mentioned. If I did that, we'd likely end up homeless. LOL. I probably spend at least 40 hours a week writing (and I'm having good success). I also spend 45 hours a week in my steady and secure day job. I'm not complaining. I feel pretty darn lucky.
Dude, do what your heart tells you. Only you can determine what is the right path for you. We all wish you utmost success in your writing career - we want that for all of our writing friends here on GR. I'm envious of anyone who's in a position to just go on blind faith and hope for the best, but that's not where a lot of us are in our lives. And many of us are okay with that. And some of us will be very successful as authors, too. We can keep our day jobs and be dedicated writers at the same time. There are a lot of hours in the week to fill. :)
My daughter is a Physicist who recently quit her job at 26 to write. I thought she had lost her mind, but encouraged her to give it all she had while she is still young enough to recover, if it doesn't work out. She is living off of her savings which are quickly dwindling.She understands now why they call many who travel down this road "starving artists". My heart goes out to anyone who loves to write, but, like myself, can't just "write" because living takes precedent. I wish you all well and hope that your dreams are fulfilled. Whatever you all decide to do just continue to write to keep your skills sharp if nothing else.
Hey guys, just to echo what Dwayne said above, and this goes for all advice that you might want to offer anyone on any thread in this group: Your way is not the only way. Please refrain from saying anyone "should" or "needs to" do anything. There are NO RULES to this business despite what everyone and their grandmother's teacup poodle wants to tell you. There is no right way and there is no wrong way. What works for you may not work for me and vice versa.
You are encouraged to give suggestions, but please be mindful of your phrasing.
Thank you.
Yes, we all need to calm down and we should be polite to each other. :D
