Writers need a day job, as any writer will tell you. Something to fund their writing. Or simply something to fund their lives, of which writing is a part. That dream of a being a fulltime writer has always been a misleading aspiration (remaining unattainable for most), but the current climate has made it even more so, which is articulated well in this piece: The End of the Career Author.
So yes, while being a writer is a vocation, it must exist alongside our desire and need to earn an income. For the past 20 years I have done that working in marketing and communications, with a focus on copywriting – writing for businesses, and individuals within those companies. Ghost writing opinion pieces, trend pieces, reviews, Q&As, product descriptions, case studies, tag lines, website copy, brochures, newsletters – if it had words on a page, then chances are that I’ve written something in that format over the years.
But marketing and copywriting have changed. With a few taps of our fingers anyone can now spew out some words. They won’t necessarily be good words, or the right words, but this simple possibility has fundamentally changed the landscape of the communications industry.
We can change along with it of course, and I have many peers are who doing so brilliantly, but standing at a crossroads recently myself, I realised that I didn’t want to. My heart was no longer in it. While I certainly wanted to keep writing for myself, I realised that I no longer found magic in helping others articulate their offering, so they could share it with the world.
Does the world still need writers in business? Yes I believe it does, as there will always be a need for strategic, creative thinkers who ask the right questions, can read an audience or a situation, and can see things that others do not. Because that’s what good writers do, and these skills are becoming ever rarer in a world where critical thinking is on the decline.
It’s a privilege to be able to take a beat to consider what makes your heart sing, and what you’re skilled at, and consider if you could turn that into something that other people need and want right now. So I made the decision to retrain in the health and fitness industry, learning how to help others become stronger and healthier versions of themselves – and it’s been an inspirational and rewarding change.
‘But have you given up being a writer?’ I’ve had people ask, and ‘Will you still be intellectually stimulated?’
I haven’t given up writing. I’ve given up writing for others, and will focus on working on my own creative projects – like this piece on Living in The Hague or this article about a mother’s love. Finding time to do that, while studying and working a new job, is challenging, but I know this is a season and I will settle into a rhythm very soon. Working with amazing clients to help them change habits and reach goals is fascinating in a very different way, and I can feel my brain problem solving every day, using existing skills and developing new ones as I go. I’m also still really enjoying tutoring writing students with the SA Writers College, getting to meet and mentor writers of all ages who are looking to sharpen their skills.
So here’s to staying curious, learning and adapting as we move through life, and through this ever-changing world.