Three Ways to Know if Your Writing Is More Than a Hobby
If you fit into one of these categories, you’re probably in it for the long haul
I recently filled out a new byline for a client. Usually, companies want a couple of sentences and my nursing credentials behind my name for credibility. However, this site asked for an entire questionnaire. One of these questions was, how long have you been a writer?
I wasn’t sure how to respond. I answered ten years because the client is in the health space, and I can confidently say I’ve worked with health content in various forms for a decade. But how long have I been a writer? I’ve been a writer for as long as I could write. However, I’ve only recently decided to turn writing into a career path.
I set myself a goal to make $500 writing in 2022. I wanted to test the water. Just a few months in, there are times I make that in a week, and with hours I set and control.
If your goal is to turn your writing passion into profit, here are three ways to know if this is your path.
You’re Constantly Reading
I read constantly. I’m currently working through On Writing by Stephen King. Before that, it was Untamed, Big Magic, and Everybody Writes. I highly recommend all of these. Outside of reading about writing and people who are successful in it, I read in multiple genres.
I also avidly read young adult literature. I have an idea for a young adult series that’s been swirling in my mind. I’m working through both my young adult favorites and occasionally newer hits.
I love reading about reading, I love reading works by talented authors across genres, and I read carefully works in genres I’m interested in contributing to.
You Make the Time
I’m a mom of four kids. My oldest turns five this year. My husband works in a leadership role and has call weeks. I’m also in graduate school for nursing, and I work part-time (albeit my work is writing and editing). Like everyone, I’m busy. And I still make the time to write for myself. I enjoy it, and I need it. There’s a big difference between writing about what you’re told to write and pitching and writing stories you’re passionate about.
Both are writing, and I need the jobs for our family’s sake. However, writing for the sake of writing because I enjoy it keeps me sane. So, I make time to write for pleasure and improve my craft.
We all have the same 168 hours in the week. How are you spending yours?
You Love It
Writing is work, and it is hard. When you pivot and write for money, you enter a different game. There is often rejection, and the continuous feedback drains anyone at times. But if it is something you love and need, you will persevere. You will write when it is difficult and when you don’t feel like it.
I believe this is what differentiates the writer who is serious about writing for a living and the hobbyist. Both are writers, and both may fill the respective writer’s goals. However, I believe that turning writing into a career requires showing up daily, even when it’s a challenge. I put words on paper and do it daily, whether I feel like it or not.
I love the craft, which motivates me and allows me to persevere, even on the days I’d rather just go to bed. If I’m being frank, as a mom of so many kids and a grad student, I want to just go to bed many nights. But I keep showing up, and the efforts are paying off.
These are the three reasons I knew my writing crossed the threshold from casual hobbyist to a career. If you shifted to writing for an income, what made you realize your writing was more than a hobby? I’d love to learn why in the comments.
