Sacrifices: Thoughts on the Risks of Being A Writer

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

There’s truth in these words. Our victories in life are almost always the result of placing ourselves in situations where we stand to lose. We take risks. Writing is no different.

Today, I’d like to reflect on two particularly big risks related to writing: money and time.

Money

Writing requires money. If you want to make your book publicly available, you’re going have to fork over the cash. That’s the way of things. I write and publish books as a hobby, not to make a living, which is a good thing because I’m nowhere near to making a profit off of the copies I’ve sold so far. On the other hand, high expenses seem to be the mark of any good hobby … But I digress.

Writing a book doesn’t cost anything, except perhaps the price of a good computer and keyboard (or pen and paper if you are so inclined), but editing does, as does cover art, formatting, and printing or releasing in eBook form. That’s thousands of dollars that may or may not be recouped. If you wish to write to support yourself, remember that there’s no guarantee you will do more than break even for a long time. And you may never. So be certain that you also enjoy writing for its own sake!

Time

Writing is not a quick and easy activity. Don’t expect to be the author who dashes out an award-winning novel after a single furious weekend session. At least, don’t expect to do that and have time for anything else. Like eating and sleeping, for example.

Investing time is a little scary, because unlike money, you can’t get it back in any way, shape or form. We pay our dues of time to that which we value above all else. Ask any writer: you are going to spend many long hours at your desk brainstorming, outlining, drafting, redrafting, formatting, and agonizing over the perfect words to fill out that final paragraph. And your book may or may not be successful. That’s risky. Your writing requires sacrificed time. Are you ready to make that sacrifice?

And now, I have either scared you away from ever publishing your stories or you have considered these factors and are determined to carry on regardless. Good for you! I’m not trying to be a doomsayer, I just wanted to share the realities of being an author. Time and money. Mundane and annoying, but that’s because writing, like every job, is in fact a job. It has its dull moments of drudgery. It is also one of the most incredible, exciting, wondrous, and most fulfilling acts of creativity available to humankind. It is risky business, writing a book. It also brings great rewards.

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Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“