Well, there is a kernel of truth in all these concerns. However, that little kernel is surrounded by a great big husk of lies. There are ways of breaking in to the writing world. While they aren't glorious and often aren't lucrative, they will allow you to eat regularly and have a decent place to live while you write. There is also an attitude to have a successful career that is at odds with the writer's temperament. If writing is your strength, you can definitely make your career out of it if you approach it the way most people have approached in their own careers. You have to approach writing as a business.
The work of a creative writer is obviously not the same as the work of most other human beings. The great music composer Aaron Copland said that he started each day by asking himself, "Do I feel like composing today?" If the answer was "no,'' he usually didn't do it. However, the question is, what led him when he said "yes"?
The writer needs to sit down at the writing desk every day. Nothing may come of it. As a writer, you might only sit there for 15 or 20 minutes and realize that you just don't have the Muse sitting on your shoulder or whispering in your ear that day. If so, then you go do other things. But what's important is that you sat at the writing desk. And this has to be more than mere motion when you do it. It has to be true action. You have to seriously want to find something that inspires you to write that day. You may not find it, but you must always seek it and always hope that on this day you will find it. For the writer to sit down at the writing desk is his version of "you get up and go to work.''
There's also the question of what you do when you aren't being spoken to by the Muse. If you want to be a writer, you should be reading an average of four hours a day, every day. This might include reading for pleasure, reading for research, listening to audio books or talk radio, or reading to become more informed about a topic of importance or interest to you. The writer can also do other imagination-stimulating things like listen to music, draw, and sketch or do photography, take a trip, or go hiking, among others. Many writers find it helps their creative flow to work out by jogging, skiing, cycling, doing weight routines, and so on and so forth.
In other careers, people advance upward from entry-level jobs. Why can't the writer do this? Why should it be any different for him? Yes, again, the entry-level jobs and the nature of the work we're talking about for the writer as opposed to most other people are more unique; but the principle remains the same.
For instance, if writing is your strong suit and you intend to make it your career, we're not saying that you should go work at the supermarket (although you just might). But what about entry-level library jobs? Entry-level library jobs will put you in touch with all sorts of research materials that you can use to find inspiration for your own writing. You can have the pleasure of being surrounded by books and verbal media all day long. You will have a constant source of income and can then go home and make use of your resourceful knowledge to write your own material.
What about entry-level newspaper jobs? Entry-level newspaper jobs allow you to actually write for money right from the word "go." This may not be your ultimate career ambition, but keep in mind that many great writers have done stints in journalism, including Ernest Hemingway. By accepting entry level newspaper jobs you can make a big difference in the world with your words, and you're getting paid to put words and your research capabilities to use. It's also a job that you can put on your resume in the future when you start submitting your work to literary agents and publishers for consideration.
Today, there are entry-level Web jobs that you can leverage. Entry-level Web jobs might include doing freelance content producing work, telecommuting copy writing, or working as a ghost-writer. This is another perfect job for those who just can't get the writing bug out of their skin but understand that in order to make writing their career they need to start somewhere and take a practical approach to career building.
