Comments for The Joy of Writing (and Singing, and Campaigning) http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog Website of writer Susan Lanigan Thu, 10 May 2012 17:15:35 +0100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 Comment on Writers – What is Your Day Job? by Susan http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959&cpage=1#comment-617 Susan Thu, 10 May 2012 17:15:35 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959#comment-617 Hi Eve, welcome to the blog! (That's a great name, "Eve Power". I would give that name to a heroine in my novel!) Sci-fi is a great genre. Do you submit to places? Hi Eve, welcome to the blog!

(That’s a great name, “Eve Power”. I would give that name to a heroine in my novel!)

Sci-fi is a great genre. Do you submit to places?

]]> Comment on Writers – What is Your Day Job? by Eve http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959&cpage=1#comment-616 Eve Thu, 10 May 2012 14:46:07 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959#comment-616 Delighted to have found this blog! Subbing, subbing... My day job is a very respectable insurance gig. Then, I like to write scifi in the evenings. I'll admit that the two worlds of insurance and scifi are actually not too far apart :D Delighted to have found this blog! Subbing, subbing…

My day job is a very respectable insurance gig. Then, I like to write scifi in the evenings.

I’ll admit that the two worlds of insurance and scifi are actually not too far apart :D

]]> Comment on Bridport Prize by Susan http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=981&cpage=1#comment-612 Susan Mon, 07 May 2012 21:36:06 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=981#comment-612 How bout you, Martha, you gonna give it a go this year? How bout you, Martha, you gonna give it a go this year?

]]> Comment on Bridport Prize by Susan http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=981&cpage=1#comment-611 Susan Mon, 07 May 2012 21:34:54 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=981#comment-611 Short and to the point :) As they say over here, Shure why not? Short and to the point :) As they say over here, Shure why not?

]]> Comment on Bridport Prize by martha http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=981&cpage=1#comment-610 martha Mon, 07 May 2012 21:30:46 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=981#comment-610 Do! Do!

]]> Comment on The Francis MacManus Shortlist – And My Thoughts On the Competition by Susan http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=534&cpage=1#comment-608 Susan Sat, 05 May 2012 15:44:22 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=534#comment-608 Hi EW - I think I've given up at this stage :) Hi EW – I think I’ve given up at this stage :)

]]> Comment on Writers – What is Your Day Job? by Susan http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959&cpage=1#comment-607 Susan Sat, 05 May 2012 15:43:41 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959#comment-607 Hi Nuala, I also work in IT and earn a reasonable though not wildly extravagant income :) I would count stuff like readings and workshops as day job as they are not directly writing, just related to it. @Liz - I doubt if many writers do get by full time. I actually find it easier to write when I have a job as the pressure is off a bit - it doesn't matter if my prose for the day is not deathless. And having structure on the rest of your day kinda helps when imposing a structure on your novel too. Sometimes too much freedom is not the ideal! Hi Nuala,

I also work in IT and earn a reasonable though not wildly extravagant income :) I would count stuff like readings and workshops as day job as they are not directly writing, just related to it.

@Liz – I doubt if many writers do get by full time. I actually find it easier to write when I have a job as the pressure is off a bit – it doesn’t matter if my prose for the day is not deathless. And having structure on the rest of your day kinda helps when imposing a structure on your novel too. Sometimes too much freedom is not the ideal!

]]> Comment on Writers – What is Your Day Job? by Nuala Ní Chonchúir http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959&cpage=1#comment-604 Nuala Ní Chonchúir Tue, 01 May 2012 19:49:15 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959#comment-604 No day job, as such. Main income comes from supervising the novels of student novel writers in the local uni. Otherwise readings, teaching workshops etc. There is less and less work of that type to go around. My husband works in IT so his income is the main one, TG for it :) No day job, as such. Main income comes from supervising the novels of student novel writers in the local uni. Otherwise readings, teaching workshops etc. There is less and less work of that type to go around. My husband works in IT so his income is the main one, TG for it :)

]]> Comment on Writers – What is Your Day Job? by Liz Brennan http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959&cpage=1#comment-602 Liz Brennan Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:33:06 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=959#comment-602 Hi Susan, This is an interesting post - since sometimes I think there is an idea out there that in order to make it at writing you must give up the job, live in a bedsit and draw the dole for a number of years. An alternative could be to marry someone rich, but somehow that doesn't work as well as the impoverished writer in said bedsit with rats nibbling at his/her toes. I work in a publishing company as an editor. In one way, this is related to writing but it is also so far removed from writing that it could be tree surgery. I think this is partly because being so close reminds me daily about being so far. If that makes sense (forgive vagueness - it's nearly bedtime). In January I went down to a four-day week. It was principally to challenge myself to write a novel, which I'm doing. But it was also to acknowledge to myself, with a very real cut in pay, that I respect writing in my life, and I would like to give it priority over other things, for a time anyway. I like hearing about writers, like yourself, who are putting good work out there and have day jobs - surely they can't all live in bedsits and give up everything for writing, in a monkish all-or-nothing way? By 'everything' I don't mean two holidays a year and a BMW, but things like getting a bank to take you seriously when looking for a mortgage, not having to say no to every invitation and generally not living hand-to-mouth. The things that make a life outside of writing, I suppose... Hi Susan,
This is an interesting post – since sometimes I think there is an idea out there that in order to make it at writing you must give up the job, live in a bedsit and draw the dole for a number of years. An alternative could be to marry someone rich, but somehow that doesn’t work as well as the impoverished writer in said bedsit with rats nibbling at his/her toes.
I work in a publishing company as an editor. In one way, this is related to writing but it is also so far removed from writing that it could be tree surgery. I think this is partly because being so close reminds me daily about being so far. If that makes sense (forgive vagueness – it’s nearly bedtime). In January I went down to a four-day week. It was principally to challenge myself to write a novel, which I’m doing. But it was also to acknowledge to myself, with a very real cut in pay, that I respect writing in my life, and I would like to give it priority over other things, for a time anyway.
I like hearing about writers, like yourself, who are putting good work out there and have day jobs – surely they can’t all live in bedsits and give up everything for writing, in a monkish all-or-nothing way? By ‘everything’ I don’t mean two holidays a year and a BMW, but things like getting a bank to take you seriously when looking for a mortgage, not having to say no to every invitation and generally not living hand-to-mouth. The things that make a life outside of writing, I suppose…

]]> Comment on The Francis MacManus Shortlist – And My Thoughts On the Competition by emerging writer http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=534&cpage=1#comment-601 emerging writer Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:33:29 +0000 http://www.joyofwriting.net/blog/?p=534#comment-601 Hi, Don't know why I missed this first time around...but it's sobering. Nice to read a bit of a rant close to this year's results. Note to self, I forgot to enter the most recent one. And it's free! Hi, Don’t know why I missed this first time around…but it’s sobering. Nice to read a bit of a rant close to this year’s results. Note to self, I forgot to enter the most recent one. And it’s free!

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