A Career Without A Living

 

Recently, I read Ron Collins’ informative and inspirational book, On Writing (and Reading) Short: A Science Fiction Writer’s Quest for Stories that Matter.

It was a very good read. I picked the book up as part of a Kickstarter campaign Mr. Collins did some months ago.

He has lots of things to say about writing in general and short stories in particular. I encourage you to pick up a copy.

Somewhere in the book he gives us his view of what it means to have a career writing short stories. It was a beautiful statement. And I found it very inspirational.

I present it below in a modified form. I use it as a contemplative read every morning.

I can have a career writing even if I never make my living from writing.

I can have a career writing by simply applying my time to pursuing it.

The only real requirements are that this pursuit fills my soul, that I create some thing, and that I don’t stop.

There are five moving parts to this statement:

1. I can have a career without it providing a living
2. I can have a career simply by pursuing one
3. The career must fill my soul
4. I must create something to have a career
5. I can have a career as long as I don’t stop pursuing it

We’ll only look at the first part today. We may look at the others in future posts.

I can have a career without it providing me a living.

That is a significant statement. A career and a living are not the same thing. At least according to Mr. Collins.

Upon reflection, I find myself agreeing with him.

We perform all manner of tasks to provide ourselves with a living. A living is nothing more than doing something that provides us with money so that we may live. Eat. Dress in suitable clothes. Procure a roof over our heads. And perhaps a few luxuries along the way.

A career, on the other hand, may provide a living. Then again it may “only” provide non-monetary satisfaction.

Being a short story writer, Mr. Collins knows that in today’s world he is not going to make any money—at least any significant money—from writing.

Much the same when I was a career poet. There is no money in poetry, and there is no money in short stories.

And sad to say, for most of us writers there is no money in writing no matter what we write. That is a fact of life. Statistically, the vast majority of writers cannot earn a living from their pens and keyboards.

Which is why I find Mr. Collins’ statement so significant. We write because we love it. We write because the act fills our souls. And because it fills our souls, we will write even if we are our only reader. Hopefully, though, we aren’t alone.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with three bestselling novels. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

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