Why Part-Time Writing Is the Way to Go
And why full-time writing is overrated
Once upon a time, back in 2016, I quit an engineering job making $130,000 per year to chase my dream of earning big money online, specifically as a writer.
It was an epic failure, one I’ve written about in a little more detail here in this viral Quora answer. Since then, I’ve gotten back into engineering and have had plenty of time to write on the side.
While making lots of money writing words is great, I don’t think I’d ever want to rely on it as my main means to survive ever again.
Here’s why:
You can be more than just another shitty writer
Money and metrics are terrible motives for creative writing.
In the years I’ve spent writing part-time, I’ve explored who I am both as a person and as a writer, and more importantly, why I choose to torment myself on an almost daily basis with this craft.
I’ve gone through what I call many “seasons” as a writer, with varying motives that have changed weekly, if not daily. Money is the one that comes around the most, followed closely by things like subscribers, recognition, and attention.
