Wouldn't it be great to quit the rat race? To leave bosses and
timeclocks
behind, skip the commute, ditch the heels or tie, and work in the same
clothes
you wear to weed the garden?
It's called "taking the plunge," and if you're at all serious
about writing, you've probably dreamed about it. But you may also have
regarded
that dream as, at best, nothing more than an improbable fantasy.
Writing may be
the career you love, but chances are it's not the career that's keeping
food on
the table and a roof over your head.
I can't tell you whether you can make that dream a reality.
But I can offer
a few tips on making the decision: To plunge or not to plunge!
When to Plunge -- and When to Stay Safely Ashore
The first question to ask when considering "the plunge" is:
Where
is your writing career today?
If the answer is "just getting started," stop right there. If
you
have only a few clips to your resume, or no clips at all, you're
unlikely to be
able to support yourself at your craft.
I hear from many writers who say they would like to quit their
jobs and
"start writing." To such writers, I say: "Start writing now.
Quit later." If you haven't started yet -- or if you're just starting
--
you simply won't know enough about this complex business to earn a
living. So
start writing. Get your feet wet. Find out what you can and can't do,
what you
enjoy, what you don't enjoy. Discover your strengths, and the areas
that could
use improvement. Find out whether you really wish to pursue writing as
a
business, or whether you'd rather pursue it as an avocation.
Writing can be a career or hobby or
anything you care to make it. Writing
for a living is a business, pure and simple. If you wouldn't
dream of quitting
your day job to run, say, an auto repair shop without any training as a
mechanic, then don't dream of quitting your day job to become a writer
without
a comparable level of experience.
But how much experience IS enough? Should one have been
writing for a year,
or three, or five? Can writing experience even be measured in terms of
"years"?
I suspect it can't. The real question is "where you are," not
how
long it has taken you to get there. The following checklist may help
you
determine whether you may be ready to consider "plunging".
A Writer's Checklist
- I write
more than 5 hours per week, every week.
- You
have discipline. It's tough to find five hours a week for writing when
working a day job. You've already passed one of the biggest hurdles
writers face.
- I submit
at least one new query or article per week.
- You
have a high output. Clearly you don't spend those five hours a week (or
whatever) repolishing old material, or stuffing your work in a drawer.
You're already "in the marketplace."
- More than
50% of my queries and/or articles are accepted.
- You
know how to target markets effectively, and you obviously write well
enough to impress the majority of the editors to whom you submit. (With
that kind of acceptance rate, there's a good chance that your
rejections aren't due to poor quality.)
- More than
50% of my markets pay more than $100 per article.
- You've
found the guts to break out of the low-paying "ghetto". You have
confidence that your work is worth more. You won't be held back by
self-esteem issues.
- I have at
least one "regular" market that has accepted several of my articles.
- You
have a steady source of income.
- I have at
least one "regular" market that contacts me with assignments (i.e.,
ideas generated by the editor rather than in response to a query from
me).
- You
must be reliable and dependable. You meet deadlines and produce quality
work. Otherwise, editors wouldn't come to YOU with ideas.
- I am
familiar with the practices and terminology of the publishing
marketplace (e.g., I know what "FNASR" and "SASE" mean and I know how
to format a manuscript).
- You
know the basics, and won't have to waste precious time "gearing up."
- I own at
least one current market guide.
- You
know the importance of obtaining the tools of the trade.
- I
subscribe to two or more writing publications.
- You
keep current with your field.
- I know
how to cope with rejection.
- You
won't be daunted by the inevitable disappointments of this type of
career.
- I earned
more than $5000 from writing activities last year.
- It
won't keep a roof over your head, but it's more than many freelancers
ever make in a year. It's one of those invisible lines: If you know how
to earn this much, you know how to earn more. Probably the only thing
holding you back is lack of time.
- I
currently report writing income for tax purposes, and know how to
maintain proper business/tax records of income and expenses.
- You
know that "writing" isn't just putting words on a page. It's also a
matter of records, accounting and good business practices.
- I keep a
household budget.
- You
already have an idea of what it will take to support your household --
which means you know how close you are to being able to go full-time.
While scoring 100% on this checklist
is no guarantee that
you're ready to quit your day job, a low score is a pretty good
indication that
you need to build up more of a foundation for your writing career
before
attempting to rely on it for a paycheck.
Making a Plan
So you've scored a perfect 13, you're totally fed up with your
day job, and
you're sure this is what you want to do. What next?
For most writers, the answer is NOT "quit your day job today."
The
answer is "make a plan." Typically, if you hope to become a full-time
writer, you'll need to plan at least six months to a year ahead before
actually
"taking the plunge."
What will you do during that year? Lots! Here are some of the
steps you'll
need to take before saying farewell to a regular paycheck and "hello"
to the joys and uncertainties of the freelance life.
1) Discuss your desire to become a fulltime
freelancer with everyone in
your personal life who will be affected by that decision
(e.g., spouse,
significant other, children). Presumably, your desire to write won't be
a total
surprise. However, family members who supported your "hobby" may not
be as enthusiastic about losing a significant chunk of family income.
They may
not be happy about making adjustments, such as providing extra income
themselves
or accepting cutbacks and lifestyle changes. Don't be surprised if you
encounter resistance or even sabotage. (I've heard of some wacky
"conditions" imposed by spouses.) Don't dismiss those concerns as
unfeeling; if your decision will affect others, the needs of those
others
should be a part of the decision-making process.
2) Evaluate your household income requirements.
If you don't track
your monthly expenses, this is a good time to start. Before you can
make an
effective plan, you need to know exactly where every penny of your
income goes.
Try tracking expenses on a simple spreadsheet, with categories such as:
- Rent/mortgage
- Groceries
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Auto (gas and
repairs)
- Medical
- Household expenses
(e.g., maintenance)
- Clothes
- Children's
expenses
- Meals and
Entertainment (e.g., restaurants and movies)
- Miscellaneous
It's also wise to break
"miscellaneous" into more
detailed categories, such as "books, CDs, videos, pets, crafts,
subscriptions," etc. A good rule of thumb is to establish a separate
listing
for every category that exceeds $50 (or even $20) per month.
If you're never tracked your expenses in such detail before,
you could be in
for a shock. You didn't know you spent $100 a month on books? Or that
those
twelve magazine subscriptions (that you never have time to read) cost
more than
$500 per year? Your budget may be a rude awakening, but it can also be
a
welcome one, as certain categories emerge as ripe for cost-cutting.
3) Create a projected budget. It's "trim
the fat" time. Go
over your current expense list, and determine what you can cut and what
you
can't. Be realistic: Don't imagine that you can go a year without
buying a new
CD or book, or without eating out even once. (By resolving to buy those
CDs or
books used instead of new, however, you can immediately cut those
categories in
half!) Be sure to budget for unexpected expenses; you can bet that
sometime in
the next year, the car will need repairs, the dog will get sick, or the
roof
will leak.
4) Determine the difference between your projected
budget and your
current take-home income. If, for example, you can trim
$10,000 in
expenses, and you take home $30,000, you'll need to earn $20,000 -- one
way or
another.
5) SAVE. Most writers suggest having a full
year of income saved (or
at least enough to cover a full year of expenses). You need a cushion
to pay
those regular bills while waiting for irregular checks. Savings will be
easier
once you trim the budget, however. For example, if you've determined
that you
can cut $10,000 in expenses, you can save that over the next year. You
can also
ramp up your writing (by producing more articles or seeking
higher-paying
markets), and bank every penny of that income as well. If your
shortfall is
$20,000, and you save $10,000 in expenses and earn another $10,000 in
writing
over the next year, you'll have covered the difference.
6) Create a business plan. Determine your
existing income sources,
and explore ways to increase that income. Should you pitch more
articles to
your regular customers? Should you seek new, higher-paying markets?
Should you
focus on a specialty or expand your range? For more tips on this stage,
see my
article, Building a Writer's Business Plan.
7) Be realistic. Nothing will sabotage your
dream faster than setting
impossible or unsatisfying goals. One writer I know attempted to
increase her
regular workload AND double or triple her writing output. Needless to
say, this
didn't work, and her "plunge" has been postponed indefinitely.
Another common cause of failure is "plunging without a net" -- with
no savings backup. It only takes one missed rent check to get you back
behind
that hated office desk.
Your goal is to improve your life, not ruin it. Many writers
take the plunge
so that they can spend more time with loved ones -- so don't create a
schedule
that shuts those loved ones out of your life! Many also want to find
more time
to do what they love -- so don't create a plan that forces you to give
up the
types of writing you love in favor of higher-paying projects that bore
you to
tears. In short, don't sabotage your plan -- or your life -- in your
attempt to
make that life better.
For more information:
Fifty
Tips on Taking the Plunge - Moira Allen
Making
the Leap from a "Real Job" to Freelancing - Kathy Sena
