Writing Full Time

Writing full time does not mean that I am writing for pay of every word that touches the paper (or computer screen). Building a freelance writing career requires many words that are written for my own benefit or for free exposure. Some writing is like the years spent at school to get a college degree.

It has only been in the last few hours really that I have understood the idea of a full time writing career. I wrote out on my white board all that writing that I needed to complete this week. It looks like an overwhelming amount of articles. I decided to estimate the number of hours required to do all of the writing. It turns out that there are only 43 hours on that white board and that INCLUDES hours set aside to do my NaNo challenge.

Understanding Full Time

According to the working world a full time job is anything over forty hours per week. That means that I need to commit at least forty hours per week to my writing to be a full time writer. I have yet to meet a writer that does not do some writing every day of the week so that means I only need to average out around six hours per day of writing to manage a full time writing career.

The simple act of committing this much time to my writing consistently will push me to be a better writer. The act of consistency goes a long ways towards improving my skills or my situation. A full time writing career is one where I commit my full time to the words.

Creating a Living Wage

Writing full time does not always equate to earning a living wage. The number one question I have been asked about writing is “can I make a living?” The truth is that the answer to that question is determined by your own definition. How much money do you need to earn when you write to “make a living.”

I have earned enough to keep my family comfortable and I have earned so little that we barely scrape by. The difference is in the economy, the quantity of quality jobs and the other jobs that I am willing to take. Growing my writing platform will continue to expand my writing opportunities and that will grow my income. But I will have to continue to work “full time” to reach the level on my platform that will provide the open doors.

Becoming a full time freelance writer does not mean that I will automatically have a living wage pouring into my bank account. Growing a freelance writing career takes time, education and experience. Working as a full time writer means that I pour out forty hours or more each week to expand my writing opportunities and hone my writing skills.

Today I become a full time writer. Where are you in your writing career?