just wondering if its really possible to make a living off of being a writer?

Question

I was just wondering because i cant think of any other job that i can do that i will like. I literally have a book of ideas so that wont ever be a problem the main problem would be if i could make a living off of writing. I'm not talking about tons of money since i don't need much to be happy. So is it possible to make a living off of writing?

Answer 1

It all depends on you give and what the world gives back...

Even if you are the next literary sensation: there is a time and a genre and most definitely, an audience for everything.

Answer 2

Yes it is, particularly in the field of journalism. I was a journalist for years and was comfortable as a "staff reporter." I wrote a lot, sometimes finding the stories on my own and sometimes following directions from the editor. It really kept me out and about and in all kinds of situations, then at a typewriter pounding out work about those situations and/or people. It's really good work and gives any writer a very good foundation for any later work they may choose to do.

During that time I also wrote a play, my first, and sent it to a troupe of players I knew, just for them to use as practice. Darned if the director didn't decide to produce the thing! I avoided rehearsals completely; I was busy anyway. That play's short run got me a thousand, and it was terrific when I did see it... they were spot-on to what I had imagined, and everybody loved everybody else, etc. etc. Fun.

Answering a question this a.m., I looked at a lot of write-ups about Pulitzer prize winning books, to make a list, and so many of the winning men and women had been journalists first that it impressed me a lot.
I've had some short stories published since the journalism days, though not enough to live on. Now I work on a book, mostly a biography of an elderly friend with a small dose of fiction. I'm retired otherwise. Well...
not really though, because I also still have a backlog of unpublished stories. I finally found an editor and have been re-working them with her...so-- we'll see. The market for short stories is pretty tough these days, not at all like it used to be. I have a lot to learn about it. I do know I have to find an agent next. An agent will make all the difference in the world.

That's all I know about 'if it is really possible to make a living being a writer.' To you-- follow your heart as long as you can, but be sure to have some back-up skills to keep food in the kitchen! Go to college, and if you major in English like I did, take the creative writing and the journalism classes too, not just the lit. Think about getting a teaching credential as well.
Luck...

Answer 3

Oh, goodness, I have read and put down books that have ten times more characters than that... you have three characters, so it should be fine. Sounds like an interesting plot. If you want, you can even put more characters in it, but just be careful. Keep a separate notebook about all the features of that character, or find a way to keep tabs on what you write about each person. It's about how many characters YOU AS THE WRITER can handle at this point, not what the reader can handle (I'd say, if you're targeting modern teens, don't have more than 5 major characters. Three seems to be ideal). Nah, the plots sound fine. There's always the major plot and subplot anyway. You can see this even on tv series, like the Simpsons or Family Guy. There's always one big thing going on with a lot of minor little plots going on at the same time. Books are very much like that. It would frustrate me as a reader sometimes when the major issue seems to be on the brink of being repaired and then the next page/chapter is back to something happening with one of the more minor characters. Develop it more. Get back to us.

Answer 4

You can't go from zero to hero without something in between. At first you need to write as much as you can in your spare time. If you are talented and make sure your work gets seen by people (agents, or as a blog, or on writing websites, or something else) then you will start to make some money. Keep going and, yes, you can make a living. Clearly there are writers out there who are proof of that.

Answer 5

If all the ideas in your head are super brilliant and end up like JK Rowling, then, yess. I myself like to write and either way you should write right now and publish them later when you already have a job. Then if their a hit, then just be a writer.

Answer 6

Yes; odds are really against it though.
But, if you mean being a newspaper reporter, you chances are much better.
There are still magazines that will purchase unsolicited stories; check in your local library for ideas and suggestions, as well as books that will guide you.

Answer 7

Nora Roberts, John Grisham & James Patterson certainly are....

Answer 8

Dean Koontz did it!
So did Isaac Asimov.