Being an Aspiring Author is a Full-Time Job and I’m Not Even Getting Paid

To be clear... I love it.

I tell this story often.

What got me into writing as a little kid was that it was the one thing I was better at than my older brother. For a kid bad at pretty much everything and always trailing him around like he was the messiah, this small bit of superiority meant the world to me. Fast forward to 2022, I’m dropping out of film school with a diploma and diving head first into my dream of becoming a novel writer. In my parents’ eyes—I am going out of my mind.

I learned two things from film school: 1) how to tell a compelling story, and 2) that I didn’t want to be in film. It was my plan B. My “well I can’t be an author so I might as well do something else creative”. My last-ditch effort to maybe pursue a career I could make money in. But it didn’t work because somewhere deep down I knew I didn’t have the passion for it to get me through the long hours. Also I really wanted a dog and that seemed like it might conflict eventually.

So, while yes I am technically still pursuing a plan B in Communications (the corporate world is gonna love me), I didn’t give up on my lifelong dream, and I’m learning more and more about what that really entails.

There’s something they don’t tell you about being an author, in that (at least to start), you’re definitely not just an author. It’s not quite enough that I’m a good writer and have put together a compelling story—I also need to be an expert in sales, marketing, building a brand, networking, social media managing, networking again, and read like crows are coming to gouge out my eyes and I may never see light again every spare minute in between.

So while I’m juggling a website and blog and starting up a podcast and falling behind but still posting on Instagram, I’m also still editing my last novel and writing my next one. And I’m doing all of this with zero guarantee of any success. It’s kind of like if someone put you in a bear pit with the promise that if you do well enough they might think about throwing you a ladder. Actually, rather, it’s kind of like throwing yourself in a bear pit and hoping if you do well enough someone might come along and think about throwing you a ladder.

And if that sounds like it sucks, all I can say is that people who love film know that it sucks too—we do it anyway because we love it, and I wouldn’t give up my dream for the world. So, in a way, it’s kind of like throwing yourself in a bear pit except your favourite animal is bears (mine are otters, but for the metaphor we can pretend).

And hey, some people get thrown ladders. So why not?

Speaking of marketing (and we were, if you’ll recall)… If you’re intrigued by what I’m up to on my writing journey--or want to trade stories from the pit with me--check out my socials and sign up for my newsletter. And if you’re ready for this article to be done, stop reading here.