Taking the leap
Ever since I was little I loved writing. As a child, I wrote stories, plays, poems, songs — everything and anything. It was my creative outlet where my imagination could run wild, and this passion grew with me. What was once simple little stories turned into developed plots, and it is still something I hold close to my heart today.
Yet, I was always so hesitant to take it further than a hobby. In high school, when asked what I wanted to be after I graduated, it was always kind of hard to put it into words. I wanted to be happy, yet I also wanted to be able to sustain myself and have a stable career. I knew writing was something I always wanted to be doing, but In my head, there was no way, no matter how much I loved it, that I could see a way of living off of it.
A study found that in 2020 there was a total of 44240 writers and authors working in the United States. Think of the success stories, like J.K. Rowling whose series was rejected 12 times but now Harry Potter has sold over 500 million copies. They may be the odd ones out, however, just because it’s unlikely doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the leap and see what could happen. While you may not get a multiple-figure deal or a movie franchise that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to make money off of your work or your passion.
Take journalism for example. This is the career route I ended up taking because I could continue to infuse my passion into what I can do every day. Writing is the pure foundation of journalism and with this, as my career, I can use my writing to inform the world on topics that matter and get paid for it. I can do the thing I love every day, and pursue it in more creative ways on the side.
Going beyond that, there are so many avenues one can take to make money off their hobbies. Beyond writing books or articles, the internet is a treasure-trove of possibilities of ways to build a career and bring in an income from doing what you love.
And if novels are the big end goal, the dream that you do not want to give up — great! Don’t! The publishing landscape has been completely altered by the internet, and it is easier than ever to make money. Again, starting off it may be harder to garnish that traditional book deal with a publishing house — social media and self-publishing have broken the barriers that used to stand in place to make this industry more exclusive.
Alex Aster is a prime example of this. She posted about a book she was writing — which is now available for preorder and is called Lightlark, and after 1.2 million views, 278,000 likes, and more than 7,000 comments she gained a six-figure book deal. Years ago this would seem impossible, but she took the leap and she is receiving the fruits of her labor.
So I urge you if you have something you are passionate about don’t push it to the sideline. Do your research, investigate every opportunity, and don’t give up. The world is your oyster, and there is a chance you can turn your passion into a profession.
