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Ask HN: Just published my 9th book (first novel) - Should I keep my day job?

by EwanG·15y ago·3 comments·view on hn ↗
Book is called Camp Handiba (wheelchairs, native American folklore, and summer camp) and available for Kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004S2KR5O or Nook/Nook Color here: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?ean=2940012188496

Reviews good, bad or otherwise appreciated :-)

3 comments
"Should I keep my day job?"

Yes. In my experience if you don't know deep in your heart that what you are doing is what you should be doing, then maintaining gainful employment until you can find that passion is recommended.

edit: I shouldn't type in the morning.

I certainly enjoy writing, but my wife and kids are somewhat persistent about a stable income. So it's more a question of whether some neutral third parties think I'm good enough at this that I could someday earn a living at it, or if I should be doing more games instead - such as this one: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/479926
"... but my wife and kids are somewhat persistent about a stable income."

I completely get this, I've got 2 kids in college, ouch! The 'joke' is that if you have to ask the question 'Should I keep my day job?' then the answer is always 'yes'. The reasoning behind this is pretty straight forward, the difference between practitioner and artist is that the practitioner does it because it interests them and an artist does it because they can't conceive of any better use for their time.

One way you would know you were passionate about writing books would be that you had moved back into your parents house with your family. That is an action where your passion is expressed by what you do, you sacrifice things that you might buy, or comforts you might enjoy, with a stable income because you are so passionate about your writing that doing it is all you can think of.

People with this kind of passion that try to get "day jobs" often get fired because they are constantly 'not present' at work, instead they are thinking about their next novel, researching it, creating characters, exploring viewpoints, "Oh wait, we had a staff meeting at 10, I'm sorry it totally left my mind!" Happens a lot to people who can't help but be what they are.

I also get the whole self confidence thing too, the need for some external validation that you're making the right choice, Etc. But there is only one real measure, and its not opinion, its how widely you are read. How many people relate to your stories? Does it change their life? Does it give them an insight they didn't have? Does it entertain them? I worked as an intern for Jerry Pournelle for a while, not name dropping, just citing the source, he called this understanding of how your writing affected your readers "finding your voice." He helped me understand I was a programmer, not a science fiction writer :-)

My experience is that nobody can tell you what you should be doing, only your heart can tell you what you should be doing. And by listening to it, and doing it, you will be happy. And of course you will not be wondering if you should be doing something else :-)