Career & Finance: Self-Employment

Why do you want to do this?

Throughout all of the jobs I had in my late teens and twenties, writing was the common thread that kept me going. No other vocation fires my imagination and validates my creativity more than storytelling, andwhatever the genre, whatever the format, I'd like to make writing a living as well as a life.

What three things will you need to make this happen?

Finish and edit my current manuscript (Dec 12/2010: done!)

Secure a literary agent.

Sign with a major international publisher. Repeat all steps as needed until book sales are providing my main source of revenue. Quit day job.

What is the biggest barrier to your achieving this?

My own mindset. I'm secure in a day job that pays my bills with a little more left over; I'm single with no children or pets; and I have a lot of free time and the support of my friends and family. As such, my own doubts and assumptions about how "hard" it is to achieve this goal are the only real obstacles I have. Best way to deal with them: ignore the odds and keep going as if it's already done.