Articles

Writing on the fly

Here’s some hard-earned advice from writers who lead ‘double lives’ and have learned to make them work

By Sandra Hurtes
Published: April 19, 2010
"Don't quit your day job." These foreboding words, often spoken to writers by those not in the profession, seem to hold expectations of failure and poverty. Whenever I hear them, I smile to ward off the feeling of doom. It’s not that I disagree. The number of writers who can actually support themselves as writers—and that includes the most talented and prolific—is woefully small. The majority of us must have a separate and reliable means of support so that we can create.

Recently I talked to a number of productive writers who appear to have managed well their “double lives” of holding down a day job while making time to write. Their comments may offer you some useful tips and inspiration for your own writing life, and perhaps even a new appreciation for some of the advantages of that day job for your writing.
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