Why You Might Not Want to Be a Writer 2
Yes, I’m a bit surprised as well, but it turns out quite a few of you appreciated hearing about the non-glamorous aspects of this career, enough to warrant a sequel entry. As before, please keep in mind that my intent with these blogs is not to dissuade you from becoming a writer. The goal is to present a realistic idea of what that job entails, allowing those considering it to make an informed decision before jumping in too deep. That feels like enough preamble for a sequel, so let’s jump on in.
The Pressure of Success
In this industry, failure of a book is something you try to be as ready as possible for. Everyone warns you about it, from the blog-writers, to the fellow authors, to agents, to the publishers themselves. The market is not unified, nobody knows for certain what will sell, it’s a risk every time. What authors are often less-prepared for is the flip-side of that coin: when a book succeeds.
Outside of a major phenomenon of a hit, there’s very little chance of that pressure coming for you as the author in the form of media coverage and photographers. No, it starts creeping in more slowly than that, usually when you sit back down to work on your next project. You might not even notice it at first, only cursorily aware that something about the process feels a tad different. Eventually though, it’ll hit you: there are stakes now.
Writing a book as a new author is work that is done essentially for you and you alone. There is no market to satisfy, no income to count on, no fan expectations to meet. Just you and the story. But that is a fleeting, impermanent version of the job. Every time you do well, people expect a little more. Every entry in a series has to move the story forward while also elevating on what has come before. If you’re the kind of author who cares about their stories, it’s impossible not to feel the mounting pressure not to disappoint.
It’s part of why I suspect some major authors take longer for series installments as the hype and expectations grow. I’ve had to work against pressure on an exponentially smaller scale, and it was still intimidating enough at times to slow my progress. Handling the expectations on the largest levels is a herculean feat in itself, let alone producing a good book amidst it all.
There is no coasting in this occupation, either you’re doing poorly and scrambling to get momentum, or you’re doing well and fighting to stay ahead. If you’re someone who thrives under pressure, it may well spur you on to greater heights, however it has also driven more than a few folks from the field. Knowing how you handle long-term pressure is a good step in figuring out if writing is the career for you.
The Isolation
To be clear, as I have said many a time, books are very rarely made purely by one person. It would be reductive to dismiss the contributions of those like editors in helping shape a tale to the very best it can be. That said, the vast bulk of the actual writing is usually done by a single set of hands, and rarely in proximity to others.
I recognize this is a weird one to tackle in late-2020, when a great deal of us have spent months working from home in solitude, but hopefully this situation is a temporary one for society at large. For authors, consider it a sneak peek into what life as a full-time writer is like. You lose the connection of an office, of casual daily acquaintances forced together by proximity. Normally I’d try to convey how unexpected;y lonely that can feel, however I think after this year we can all take a reasonable guess.
How much this impacts you will obviously vary person-to-person. Despite my gregarious nature, I’m quite comfortable by myself, so the transition wasn’t horribly jarring. If you’re an extrovert who really thrives on having others nearby, the sudden shift might send your energy and motivation spiraling. But regardless, you are going to feel the change on some level, the way you’re cut off from a major part of the shared experience for adults: the metaphorical 9-5 drudgery.
Thanks to the internet, there are ample ways to lessen the impact of this one, at least. Creating bonds with other authors, like I have with Authors & Dragons, can make a huge difference. I can’t tell you how many times it’s saved my sanity to have other people in the industry I can ask about various processes or bounce ideas off of. For newer authors, writing and critique groups are often a great spot to find those with a shared passion. Of course, there’s no need to fill your missing social component with solely others in your field, there are no shortage of online groups and Discord servers for nearly any interest out there. The key here is to stay connected, not let yourself drift off too much into the job alone. That’s one way overworking and burnout can get their hooks into you, its important to take time for life outside the keyboard.
Hopefully this didn’t scare anyone off, because for all the drawbacks I reference in these blogs, if you love writing then there is no career like being an author. I’ve been at it full-time for over seven years now, and there’s no other gig I can imagine loving half as much. If you think writing is your calling, then by all means chase it. There will be challenges like these and more, but rising to meet them can be an accomplishment all on its own.