The Huge Downsides of Quitting Your Job to Write Books Fulltime

Deciding to quit your job and write full-time can seem like a dream come true, but as any writer will tell you it's not all unicorns and daisies from that moment forward. 

Sure you'll be living on cloud nine for a while and using your savings to make sure your bills are still getting paid on time and that there is still food in the fridge - but then some time passes and you realize it's not the quick take-off rags to riches (or moderate sized income to riches) that you were hoping for.

While social media may make it seem to be that writers who quit their job to pursue writing are living the dream, there are a few downsides that many of them don't talk about as to not shatter the illusion of those rose-colored glasses. 

Just so you have the true scope of both sides of the coin -  here are the downsides that come with quitting your job to pursue writing full-time.

Financial Uncertainty or the Ticking Clock of Doom 

With writing there is no such thing as guaranteed income.

Sure you may write one book and it does well enough to keep the debt collectors off of your back, but success on one book is never a guarantee of success on the next one, or the ones that come after that. 

 Some writers I know actually had to go back to working a full-time job when their book sales weren't making enough for them to live off of. 

When you first quit your job and jump into pursuing writing full time you may have enough saved up to live comfortably for a few months or even a year, but every day becomes a ticking clock to when you need to see a monetary return or else - and the stress of that can be overwhelming some days. 

Isolation and Loneliness

Yes, there are writing comminutes out there to make writing not so lonely, but at the end of the day, writing isn't a group effort. The words have to come from you and onto the page and sometimes it can be a lonely and isolated endeavor. 

When we write dark scenes our stories sometimes need to have can bring us down and affect us in a way that some others can't understand. 

It's like when someone can't understand when a book makes someone cry - some get it and some don't. 

Self-Discipline and Motivation 

With no boss, it can be hard to keep focused on work without the set structure of a typical workday. You (or your responsibilities) dictate when you write and for how long you write. 

This sounds great until you have to do a few loads of laundry or pick the kids up from school, or that new tv show you love so much just came out with a new season. 

It can take some motivation of steel to get yourself into work mode when you don't have anyone to be accountable to. 

Self-Doubt and Rejection 

Writing full-time means facing the realities of the publishing industry, including rejection and the self-doubt that comes along with it. 

Receiving rejections from agents or publishers and facing criticism from readers can be disheartening and in some cases can be enough to have you throwing your manuscript in the trash.

To put yourself out there, as writers do when they put their heart and soul into their work for the judgment of others can mean having to grow a thick skin. Especially when internet trolls still exist and some people will give you hell just because they can without even reading anything you've written. 

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Sure - these things all suck, but in the end, they are absolutely worth it. 

I didn't have the chance to quit my job, I was let go due to the world shutdown, but I had already been ready with my savings account to throw in my two weeks' notice.

As soon as I was able to focus everything I had, all my time and energy, into finishing my degree without having to juggle the classwork with a 50-hour work week, and then throwing myself into writing- I never felt more proud of myself. Sure some days I still worry if the income will be less than the bills, but I always track expenses just to be safe. 

So although there are downsides -  you have to decide for yourself if the upsides - fulfilling your dreams and becoming a full-time writer is going to be worth the hardships you'll face. 

Best of luck no matter what you decide. 

With love, 

B. King xo xo

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