by Jennifer Gibbs

Created on: June 04, 2008   Last Updated: February 17, 2010

The Joys (...and Sorrows) of Being a Professional Writer

I once read a quote in a "How-To" manual for writers that said you shouldn't even CONSIDER pursuing a career as a writer unless you absolutely CAN'T do anything else. If you eat, sleep, dream and live writing, then you already know that you're a bit different from the rest of the world. Us "creative" types are stereotyped as often as the next profession, and a great deal of us run around personifying the role of the "starving artist."

When I first decided to quit my day job and strike out as a full-time freelance writer, people told me that I was insane. You're too young... You don't have any experience... But you've never been published! You'll starve to death! You'll be back clocking in again in NO TIME! However, almost four years later, I proved every body wrong. I won't lie to you - it was anything BUT easy, but in my honest opinion, there was no other way to go. Prior to writing full-time, I worked as a marketing director for home improvement companies across the country. Regularly, though, without fail, every six months to a year, I'd get bored, and it would be time to move to a new city and work with a new company. I had what I refer to as "professional ADHD". Some people call the "creative disorder" hypo-mania.

Whatever it was, I had it bad. After making my big "break out" (selling a few pieces to a company owner in Lithuania, of all places), I knew without a doubt that I had what it takes to make it. The question you need to ask yourself now, before you get started, is: "Do I have what it takes?"

Here's the reality of being a professional writer - the good, the bad and the ugly:

The Joys...

1. Now, I'm the boss. The people who hire me (and, consequentially, tell me what to do) are no longer "bosses", they're clients.

2. I set my work calendar. Some weeks I feel like juggling five or more projects. Other weeks, I won't do anything. I'm free to take Saturdays off EVERY weekend, and spontaneous road-trips aren't nearly so frowned upon.

3. Despite the naysayers out there, I make a nice living as a professional writer. While I'm not rolling in the big bucks, I do earn a nice $40.00 per hour rate (soon to be $60.00) in a town where the average hourly wage is less than $15.00. All that, and without a college degree.

4. I'm not too humble to admit it: I'm a GREAT writer. Writing for the web, print and corporate communications are all different ball games, and I'm able to excel in them all. Plus, with

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