The perils of being a writer

[Kumabjorn]

https://medium.com/debt-ridden/35d7c8aec846

Since we have been discussing the benefits of self-publishing in another thread, it might be interesting to know the backside your trying to make it as a writer.

[fjtorres]

I'm not sure that is reflection of a writer's career so much as a young bohemian Newyorker's life.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

I'm not sure that is reflection of a writer's career so much as a young bohemian Newyorker's life.

Yep... That's my take. Young, mostly unemployed, living in New York, sort of writes and then complains on how quickly her $170000 disappeared.

[Ninjalawyer]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Yep... That's my take. Young, mostly unemployed, living in New York, sort of writes and then complains on how quickly her $170000 disappeared.

This.

Reading that was painful. Not because it was poorly written, but because I kept wishing I could travel back in time, locate her and then shake her while yelling, "every decision you make is wrong!"

[QuantumIguana]

There are plenty of people who manage to have a day job and still manage to write. One way to make $170,000 go a lot further is not to live in NYC. $1,700 is a lot for a one-bedroom apartment. I like visiting NYC, but it's an expensive place. These perils aren't caused by being a writer, but expecting a certain standard of living that might not always be available.

[jgaiser]

This quote:

For many years I have been spending a lot of time on the internet. In fact, I can’t really remember anything else I did in 2010. I tumbld, I tweeted, and I scrolled. This didn’t earn me any money but it felt like work. I justified my habits to myself in various ways. I was building my brand. Blogging was a creative act—even “curating” by reblogging someone else’s post was a creative act, if you squinted.

showed me how not serious of a writer she was/is. Yoga and the internet. Writing a book was definitely *not* her problem.

[Ninjalawyer]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

This quote:



showed me how not serious of a writer she was/is. Yoga and the internet. Writing a book was definitely *not* her problem.

On the other hand, her boyfriend (to whom she has affixed herself like a barnacle) seems to have it together.

[Jessica Lares]

Medium is very much a place where a lot of posts read very similar to this one. Just a lot of young people who babble in long form about everything. Only recently did some designer complain about getting his dream job only to hate his boss and the hard hours.

Sometimes the posts are good, sometimes they're fluff.

This one is fluff. Absolutely cringeworthy at parts. Made me really sad. After reading that piece, it doesn't make me want to check out the rest of the collection it's taken from.

Which is probably filled with the same types of stories anyway.

[Geralt]

I wouldn't trust this woman with 10 cents. It's so painfully obvious she's irresponsible with her money, and if she didn't have a boyfriend to support her, she would have ended up as a homeless person.

Also, teaching part time yoga is not a job. Here we have a grown ass woman behaving like a spoiled brat that still hasn't learned the value of money.

[Catlady]

I got bored with the article after a few paragraphs. What a case of logorrhea! Why does this woman think her endless whining is interesting or instructive?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Why does this woman think her endless whining is interesting or instructive?

This is the kind of writing thst got her a $200k windfall once.
Might as well see if the NY publishing establishment bites again.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

This is the kind of writing thst got her a $200k windfall once.
Might as well see if the NY publishing establishment bites again.

If I had made $200K in the Netherlands, I'd have probably been safe for a big part of my life. In the very least, I could have lived 6-8 years without an income. That would give one plenty of time to write 6-8 books; maybe even 10 or 12.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

There are plenty of people who manage to have a day job and still manage to write. One way to make $170,000 go a lot further is not to live in NYC. $1,700 is a lot for a one-bedroom apartment. I like visiting NYC, but it's an expensive place. These perils aren't caused by being a writer, but expecting a certain standard of living that might not always be available.

Ditto. You can get a (nicer) apartment in the less trendy NJ suburbs where almost everything is cheaper and you can still get into the city on a train or bus whenever you need to.

[Catlady]

My first impression was that $1,700 a month for a Brooklyn one-bedroom seems high, but my ideas of price may be a bit out of date. I wonder what neighborhood she was in.

[speakingtohe]

I could live for a while on $170,000 but I think maybe half went for taxes and debt.

I can empathize a bit as when I was young I spent money (credit) I couldn't afford as did most people I knew. Today I know several people earning $100k plus annually whose debt is still mounting and who are approaching retirement without even a modest nest egg. Stupid IMO but I am not them so what do I know about why etc. And I can say without a doubt, that if I had been more sensible with money when I was young, just sensible, I would probably be pretty well off now instead of just doing okay. Hindsight is a bitch.

Her story actually made me feel a bit bad for her and it does seem like she is trying to take responsibility now.

Helen