The Job I Need vs. the Career I Want

Reader,

This past weekend was a hectic one.  Between the death of my fiance's grandfather (may he rest in peace and forever enjoy the range up in the sky) and the plethora of graduates to celebrate one could hardly get a breather.  However it was also a fun weekend filled with family, friends, and loved ones. 

A wise woman said to the group of graduates at my party (bad paraphrasing aside), "Never forget the job you want just because you have the job you need."  I am not sure if she knows how important that is to an inspiring author.

You see, as a writer you participate in your dream career for years at a time without recognition, or pay.  You write, and you write, and write some more.  You write short stories, novels, whatever your heart and thoughts lead you to write.  All that while you need a job.  For me personally, I want a job that requires as little thought about it as possible when not on the clock.  I already have one off the clock job I don't need another.

Once you finish the writing, you begin the great revision process.  This alone could take months even years, as you polish your creation, your brain child, until it shines.  Still you are off the clock.  Still you need a day job.

Then your creation is finished, but are you?  Far from it.  Now you have to query agents in the case of a novel.  This baby that you've been working on for months, years, decades, you have to distill down to one page, 250 words.  Consider this your cover letter for your dream job (to barrow shamelessly from a comment over at Miss Snark's First Victim).  As you fish around with your query letter (probably five or six versions of the same letter tailor fit to each agent) you still need your day job to pay the bills.

The agent may ask for more pages, or even a full manuscript and you passed  the first hurdle, gaining representation.  You still need your day job.

The agent then works with you to find a publishing house that will buy the manuscript you slaved over off the clock.  You might even sell the novel, but chances are the advanced check won't be high enough to allow you to quite your job yet, you still need your day job.

So for me, and many other writers it's not a choice between the job we need or the job we want.  We are actively participating in both at the same time.  Sure our day job may shift, become better, or worse than what came before.  Some writers enjoy their jobs so much they might not quit it even if they were able to support themselves on just writing.  But those are few and far between.

Are you happy with the job you currently have?
Do you have the job you need, the job you want, or both?

Until next time,
Rose