Seeking Advice(About my future)

[CreationWillL]

Greetings to you all,

After finishing school, I'm about to start a new chapter in my life - the working world, and I'm confused about my feelings concerning myself, which is why I'm looking for advice.

Due to my family situation, I'm expected to get an apprenticeship, whereas I want to pursue my hobby and finally become a full-time writer. As a result, I have never been honest with myself, my parents, or other relatives. Now, I am in the process of being accepted into the German Armed Forces and doing a job that I don't really want to do in the future.

Even though I'm now an "adult," it's not as easy as you might imagine.

At the moment, I still live with my parents, but this would change as soon as I had a conversation with them. Unfortunately, a part-time job wouldn't be enough to keep me afloat or to finance a place of my own. If I were to work more hours and get a 40-hour-a-week job, the situation would be no different than if I were doing an apprenticeship.

I don't know whether I should pursue a "safe" career, where I will never be happy, or take the risk of failing. Ultimately, I can't do more than fail, can I?Seeking Advice(About my future)

 

[SailusGebel]

What are you going to write?

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Tough choice, but if you take the leap, take the leap hard. Invest every waking second into anything that could make you money from writing. Learn about how others made money, and you might have to write something you don't want to at first, especially if you want a stable income.

Don't leave your life up to chance. Eliminate as much of that as possible. It's not really a leap of faith if you really work. Though, there will be some element of that.

 

[CreationWillL]

What are you going to write?

What are you going to write?

Nowadays, we live in an age where we take everything for granted. Being greedy, we fail to enjoy the little things in life.

I want to write a story in which the main protagonist still appreciates the little moments in life.

A more slice-of-life-oriented story in which vulnerabilities and handicaps are explored.

 

[SainS]

If you can write while working, I would highly recommend writing while working until you make enough to take the leap. Writing career can take many many years to take off depending on a variety of factors (or happen in a month). You can't know for sure how it'll happen before you try, so just to save yourself from having to live with financial worry and stress (which will affect your writing quality), I'd suggest writing while working.

Edit. I'll add this. You sound like a young person, so you've got plenty of time to become a writer, even if you spend some time first securing your life. The world we live in is pretty harsh and you need money. Make sure you have enough to not die. You've got plenty of time to hone your skills and pursue your dream throughout your 20s and 30s. Experiencing 'real life' through jobs etc. may also help you gain experience to write stories grounded in deeper real experience.

 

[SailusGebel]

Nowadays, we live in an age where we take everything for granted. Being greedy, we fail to enjoy the little things in life.

I want to write a story in which the main protagonist still appreciates the little moments in life.

A more slice-of-life-oriented story in which vulnerabilities and handicaps are explored.

Pursue a safe career.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Tough choice, but if you take the leap, take the leap hard. Invest every waking second into anything that could make you money from writing. Learn about how others made money, and you might have to write something you don't want to at first, especially if you want a stable income.

Don't leave your life up to chance. Eliminate as much of that as possible. It's not really a leap of faith if you really work. Though, there will be some element of that.

You may have to work 9-5, but you can still pursue a writing career if you manage your time well. Hell, many jobs you will be able to write at work anyway. If you are able to get an office job with free time to write then that would be good.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Writing is a broader field than creative writing. Don't know if Germany has a GI bill, but if you plan to go to college you can always go for technical writing and corporate communication.

I know a guy who's job was writing computer user manuals, and he made a ton of money. I think if you want to be a writer you might have to try and love not just creative writing, but writing in general.

 

[Heavenlycapybara]

It's a difficult journey, my friend. I'm also trying to become a full-time writer. For me, it's a bit easier as my country has an absurdly low cost of living, and I can easily survive on 300 dollars a month, 600–700 dollars if I want a minimally comfortable life.

I personally recommend that you write and work at the same time, study what you want to write about, and then research what people want to read and are willing to pay for, both here on SH and on the Royal Road. See how authors monetize their work, what benefits they offer, and define how you will monetize yours.

Finally, try to match what you want to write with what people want to read, and start writing. Make a backlog of at least 2-3 months of chapters before you start publishing your novel, and remember to set some aside in case you go the safe route and offer early access on Patreon to monetize your story.

Before I released my current novel, which had very good start, I spent months just studying what people would like to read and how I could fit the story I wanted to write into that. I made a lot of mistakes, I admit, but that's part of the process. I hope to be able to make a living from my writing in a year, but if not, I still have many years ahead of me.

 

[SailusGebel]

I spent months just studying what people would like to read

I can see that.

 

[Suczka]

I don't know whether I should pursue a "safe" career, where I will never be happy, or take the risk of failing. Ultimately, I can't do more than fail, can I?Seeking Advice(About my future)

The fact that you will start apprenticeship does not mean that you have to continue that career for life or even finish apprenticeship.
But finishing it will give you some qualifications that may be useful later in life.
And if it will keep you from landing on the street, which is a goal in its own.

The sad truth is that there is not much money in writing. Probably less than in any other form of art as today we live in visual age.
Only small top percent of people can make enough money from art to make a living.
To be in that group you need immense talent and luck to be found by people who are willing to pay you.
You may think that it is doable as there are headlines in newspapers from time to time about people who managed to do it.
But bear in mind that if that was a common thing it wouldn't be sensational enough to mention in news.

Do not over-romanticize starving artist trope.
If you are starving you can not afford a PC to write anyway. (if you write on Mac there is not much hope for you anyway)

Many writers maintained their day jobs until their book was successful.
There is no shame in working to be able to fund your hobby.

If your writing is good enough to earn you money and you will become famous, during interview story about working hard to write will earn you more respect than draining the welfare to be an artist.

If you really hate your designated day job you can always pursue other career. Start from online courses to learn new skills that might grant you more bearable work.

Whatever you do remember:
It is better to be unhappy in a warm house, than homeless.
You live in Germany so your winters are not that tough.
Still you get snow and -20 degrees from time to time.

If you loose your fingers due to frostbite you will have to write with your toes!
(not to mention not being able to get any job)

Still you are a free human and have a free will.
You are free to do whatever you want.
But no one is free from consequences of their choices.


Lastly whats wrong with military?
Tolkien was soldier in WWI and had idea to write LOTR in the trenches.

 

[WinterTimeCrime]

As adults, we work not because we necessarily adore our jobs but to be able to pursue the things we love to do.

Don't get sold on the fantasy that you can finance an adult lifestyle based on potential donations from readers. Most writers making a living on Patreon are a one-in-a-million example, and seeing several can make you believe you can do it, too.

No, you can't, and that shouldn't be your go-to plan.

Get a job, make money, and write on the side. If it works out, great. If it doesn't, at least you can continue a hobby you like and still afford to eat.

If you want to expedite the process, you can write into popular tropes like systems and overpowered MCs with a fanbase willing to throw their cash at you. These guys couldn't care less about quality or story, and just want to read the trope itself.

 

[J_Chemist]

The likelihood of you becoming a successful author is slim and you will make pennies unless you make it big. While some can make a living wage, it's stressful and you may be forced to write things you don't want to.

Get a career and use it to fund your hobby. Do not make your hobby your job unless it's both satisfying and covers your bills.

Source: a guy who made his hobby his job.

 

[K5Rakitan]

You could always get married and procreate, but then you wouldn't have time to write then, either.

 

[doravg]

Greetings to you all,

After finishing school, I'm about to start a new chapter in my life - the working world, and I'm confused about my feelings concerning myself, which is why I'm looking for advice.

Due to my family situation, I'm expected to get an apprenticeship, whereas I want to pursue my hobby and finally become a full-time writer. As a result, I have never been honest with myself, my parents, or other relatives. Now, I am in the process of being accepted into the German Armed Forces and doing a job that I don't really want to do in the future.

Even though I'm now an "adult," it's not as easy as you might imagine.

At the moment, I still live with my parents, but this would change as soon as I had a conversation with them. Unfortunately, a part-time job wouldn't be enough to keep me afloat or to finance a place of my own. If I were to work more hours and get a 40-hour-a-week job, the situation would be no different than if I were doing an apprenticeship.

I don't know whether I should pursue a "safe" career, where I will never be happy, or take the risk of failing. Ultimately, I can't do more than fail, can I?Seeking Advice(About my future)

While there is nothing wrong with a day job, the Military is a bit much, if I must be honest. After all, in a normal office job, the chances that you will get shot are smaller. As for full-time writing, I wish you luck, but before you delve deep into it, do your research.

Make peace with the fact, that you will have to write not what you like, but what sells.

Also, you might want to look into marketing.

For me, getting a normal office job was perfect because it lets me write what I want, and surrounds me with people, with whom I can talk to. Many writers want to write full-time, but they don't take the social isolation aspect into account. Something that can lead to depression.

As for your current situation, is it not possible to learn a language instead, or programming? I don't know how things are in Germany, but here in Bulgaria there are a lot of programming schools, which teach you an entire programming language cheaply. For example, when I tried my hand at that, the Programming Fundamentals in Java were free, and I only needed to pay 25 Euro to take the test.

Since I am bad at math, nothing came out of it. My grade was 4.50 out of 6 (In Bulgaria the highest mark someone can get is 6), which means I barely passed, but didn't get a certificate.

I wish you luck!

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

You could always get married and procreate, but then you wouldn't have time to write then, either.

You can't keep getting away with this!

 

[ElijahRyne]

Greetings to you all,

After finishing school, I'm about to start a new chapter in my life - the working world, and I'm confused about my feelings concerning myself, which is why I'm looking for advice.

Due to my family situation, I'm expected to get an apprenticeship, whereas I want to pursue my hobby and finally become a full-time writer. As a result, I have never been honest with myself, my parents, or other relatives. Now, I am in the process of being accepted into the German Armed Forces and doing a job that I don't really want to do in the future.

Even though I'm now an "adult," it's not as easy as you might imagine.

At the moment, I still live with my parents, but this would change as soon as I had a conversation with them. Unfortunately, a part-time job wouldn't be enough to keep me afloat or to finance a place of my own. If I were to work more hours and get a 40-hour-a-week job, the situation would be no different than if I were doing an apprenticeship.

I don't know whether I should pursue a "safe" career, where I will never be happy, or take the risk of failing. Ultimately, I can't do more than fail, can I?Seeking Advice(About my future)

You will probably have to find a job before you can write full time. Especially if you have no published works. If you want to write stories professionally, it is best to figure out how that writing will provide income. Be that publishing, serialization, patreon, etcetera etcetera. Then you should take baby steps towards it, while saving a nest egg from the job you are working. If you start to find success while inching forward, double check you have a way out, and then take a leap. If you do so wether you may stick the landing, or fall flat on your face, you will always have a plan out.

Followup on job market, I live in the US so take my words with a handful of salt, typically union jobs will pay more, give more time off, have better job security, more manageable workloads, better working conditions, and have longer breaks than similar jobs without one. So if possible join a unionized workplace, and it might give you more time to write. Even if you can’t get a desk job.