I've been thinking a lot about my changing attitude to writing lately.
The blueprint for how I saw writers working pre-teens was J. K. Rowling. It was through reading the Harry Potter books that it clicked that books were something people made, they didn't just appear, and that the love I had of telling stories could actually be a thing that I do.
But Rowling's career path isn't exactly the best example to base my own own. I think it set up a lot of notions in my head that the only way to really make money as a writer is to write something brilliant and to get lucky with the interest in it. So I resigned to creating a career that could support my writing on the side. Which is what I've been doing the majority of the past years, trying to increase the creative writing output whilst maintaining a job that pays the bills.
It's only in the last year or so a few different modes of thinking have really started to take hold. 1. That it is possible to make real money from writing and 2. That writing is closely tied with personal development beyond wanting to be a better writer.
Over recent years I've leaned into writing a lot more as a way of dealing with my own anxieties, headaches and confusions - a way to bring clarity to my thoughts and to create the opportunity to rethink. And it's only in this year that I've revisited efforts to make money from writing, scoping opportunities to get good at and make money from sales copy.
As it stands my output goes into a lot of different areas. The important thing I've come to clarify is the mode that each of those areas exists within.
My daily journal - for my own wellbeing
My daily creative fiction - for my creative development and potential long term career
My writers diary - for freely logging my thoughts around this writing practice
My Twitter, Medium and Threads - for me to experiment with ideas and see what people respond to, potentially creating an income in the longer term
My blog (that short fiction site) - for me to explore and create a space in the niche of short fiction, potentially supporting a longer term income stream but mainly for my enjoyment
My copywriting - for me to make an income in the shorter term
Being aware of what each area is for I think is really helping to clarify my mindset around it, and helping me to paint a better picture of what a full "writers life" might look like.