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So this author is anxious about not being able to pay the bills. And this hinders him from pursuing his true calling, which is writing. Well, if I had a side g

So this author is anxious about not being able to pay the bills. And this hinders him from pursuing his true calling, which is writing. Well, if I had a side gig that raked in $2000 per month steady then I would be a writer for sure. I would just not try to live in Manhattan. Problem of thought money solved.

plainnoodles 4y ago
The problem is that the author probably likes manhattan for various reasons that you can't just move outside of manhattan, like: - family nearby - friends nearby - as a consequence of the above two: support network is in manhattan - enjoying the local parks/scene/etc I grew up in <midwest plains city> and then moved to <rival midwest plains city> for a long while after college, eventually moving back to my home city because that's where all my family was. It was a hard move in both directions and all things considered, I didn't even move that far. In city B, I missed my family and the stuff there was to do in city A. But after moving back, I now miss a lot of the things we did in B. And I don't even consider myself to be someone to particularly likes leaving my house! Advice that tells people to "just move" is pretty shortsighted, I think. I really doubt OP moved to manhattan just to be able to be snooty about living in an expensive city, or something, which is honestly how I kind of read these kinds of advice - though it's probably not a very charitable read of your argument, for which I apologize.
- buscoquadnary 4y ago
  Ah so now it's transformed from I want to be a writer to I want to be a writer in Manhattan specifically, and I'm sure there are a lot of other caveats. Do you want me to tell you about someone who really has a passion for writing. Brandon Sanderson, he loved writing so much that in college he got a job at a desk clerk at a hotel at night just so he could write more. He writes "novellas" on his flights for fun just because he can, during COVID he wrote 4 more novels just for funsies to deal with the anxiety. A lot of people say they have a passion what they have is an interest. Anyone who has a real honest to God burning passion is going to be doing it regardless of anything else just because they love it. Alot of people think they have a passion but really they just kind of like the idea doing something that seems easier.
  - allenu 4y ago
    > A lot of people say they have a passion what they have is an interest. Anyone who has a real honest to God burning passion is going to be doing it regardless of anything else just because they love it. This reminds me of a part of a Ken Robinson talk (maybe it's a TED Talk), where he describes talking to a friend after a musical performance. He tells his friend, "I'd love to be able to do what you do on the stage." And his friends basically tells him, "No, you don't. If you wanted to do what I do, you'd be practicing on your guitar daily. What you want is the praise and benefits of the hard work. You don't actually want to do what I do."
  - AlotOfReading 4y ago
    This whole "you aren't a real <x> unless you suffer through <y>" is just as unhealthy for authors as it is for programmers. Just because someone isn't grinding out leetcode on their lunchbreak or novellas on flights doesn't mean they don't have a genuine love and passion for the underlying art. Sanderson is an exceptional author, emphasis on exceptional. Most people would burn out at the pace he sets.
    - buscoquadnary 4y ago
      My point wasn't to say your aren't a real writer unless you write like he does it was to illustrate what a real love and burning passion is. A lot of us here think we would love to but physicists as it is all so interesting but we can't because of our jobs. The greatest physicist since Newton couldn't get a job as a physicist but loved it so much that he spent any spare time he had working on it and thinking about it and obsessing over it. If you really actually love something you'll find a way to do it, otherwise it's a hobby. Hobbies are good there is nothing wrong with it. But if you really feel a burning desire to do something you'd do it regardless of finances and time because you won't be able to stop yourself from doing it.
      - AlotOfReading 4y ago
        Speaking from personal experience, that's not true. I truly loved being an archaeologist, but I also enjoy the creature comforts of bathing, housing, and having access to the basic institutions of society like voting or dating. Pursuing one effectively meant giving up the others, so I returned to my more moderate (and financially rewarding) love of tech.
- the_watcher 4y ago
  The author lives in Austin. He used to live in Manhattan.
meowzero 4y ago
That's probably one part. But a young, hip, professional like this author (based on his writing, that's what he seems like) probably doesn't want to live in a suburb in Ohio, even though he could be much more comfortable there with his $2000 passive income, which could allow him to follow his dreams of writing. There is a reason why artists go to places like NY or other HCOL places. There are other people like them. It's probably easier to find inspiration and meet peers at those places.
- buscoquadnary 4y ago
  The most prolific writer of our era lives in Utah and has most of his life. He wants to be trendy hip and part of the artistic in crowd more than he wants to write.
  - xoxxala 4y ago
    Utah writer is Brandon Sanderson?
    - buscoquadnary 4y ago
      Yeah. You might not like his writing but no one can say he doesn't produce. I think he is up to a novel every year usually with a novella thrown in as well.
enominezerum 4y ago
But author wants to surround themselves with smart people per another of their postings, obviously this can't be done in low cost of living areas...

plainnoodles 4y ago

The problem is that the author probably likes manhattan for various reasons that you can't just move outside of manhattan, like: - family nearby - friends nearby - as a consequence of the above two: support network is in manhattan - enjoying the local parks/scene/etc I grew up in <midwest plains city> and then moved to <rival midwest plains city> for a long while after college, eventually moving back to my home city because that's where all my family was. It was a hard move in both directions and all things considered, I didn't even move that far. In city B, I missed my family and the stuff there was to do in city A. But after moving back, I now miss a lot of the things we did in B. And I don't even consider myself to be someone to particularly likes leaving my house! Advice that tells people to "just move" is pretty shortsighted, I think. I really doubt OP moved to manhattan just to be able to be snooty about living in an expensive city, or something, which is honestly how I kind of read these kinds of advice - though it's probably not a very charitable read of your argument, for which I apologize.

buscoquadnary 4y ago
Ah so now it's transformed from I want to be a writer to I want to be a writer in Manhattan specifically, and I'm sure there are a lot of other caveats. Do you want me to tell you about someone who really has a passion for writing. Brandon Sanderson, he loved writing so much that in college he got a job at a desk clerk at a hotel at night just so he could write more. He writes "novellas" on his flights for fun just because he can, during COVID he wrote 4 more novels just for funsies to deal with the anxiety. A lot of people say they have a passion what they have is an interest. Anyone who has a real honest to God burning passion is going to be doing it regardless of anything else just because they love it. Alot of people think they have a passion but really they just kind of like the idea doing something that seems easier.
- allenu 4y ago
  > A lot of people say they have a passion what they have is an interest. Anyone who has a real honest to God burning passion is going to be doing it regardless of anything else just because they love it. This reminds me of a part of a Ken Robinson talk (maybe it's a TED Talk), where he describes talking to a friend after a musical performance. He tells his friend, "I'd love to be able to do what you do on the stage." And his friends basically tells him, "No, you don't. If you wanted to do what I do, you'd be practicing on your guitar daily. What you want is the praise and benefits of the hard work. You don't actually want to do what I do."
- AlotOfReading 4y ago
  This whole "you aren't a real <x> unless you suffer through <y>" is just as unhealthy for authors as it is for programmers. Just because someone isn't grinding out leetcode on their lunchbreak or novellas on flights doesn't mean they don't have a genuine love and passion for the underlying art. Sanderson is an exceptional author, emphasis on exceptional. Most people would burn out at the pace he sets.
  - buscoquadnary 4y ago
    My point wasn't to say your aren't a real writer unless you write like he does it was to illustrate what a real love and burning passion is. A lot of us here think we would love to but physicists as it is all so interesting but we can't because of our jobs. The greatest physicist since Newton couldn't get a job as a physicist but loved it so much that he spent any spare time he had working on it and thinking about it and obsessing over it. If you really actually love something you'll find a way to do it, otherwise it's a hobby. Hobbies are good there is nothing wrong with it. But if you really feel a burning desire to do something you'd do it regardless of finances and time because you won't be able to stop yourself from doing it.
    - AlotOfReading 4y ago
      Speaking from personal experience, that's not true. I truly loved being an archaeologist, but I also enjoy the creature comforts of bathing, housing, and having access to the basic institutions of society like voting or dating. Pursuing one effectively meant giving up the others, so I returned to my more moderate (and financially rewarding) love of tech.
the_watcher 4y ago
The author lives in Austin. He used to live in Manhattan.

meowzero 4y ago

That's probably one part. But a young, hip, professional like this author (based on his writing, that's what he seems like) probably doesn't want to live in a suburb in Ohio, even though he could be much more comfortable there with his $2000 passive income, which could allow him to follow his dreams of writing. There is a reason why artists go to places like NY or other HCOL places. There are other people like them. It's probably easier to find inspiration and meet peers at those places.

buscoquadnary 4y ago
The most prolific writer of our era lives in Utah and has most of his life. He wants to be trendy hip and part of the artistic in crowd more than he wants to write.
- xoxxala 4y ago
  Utah writer is Brandon Sanderson?
  - buscoquadnary 4y ago
    Yeah. You might not like his writing but no one can say he doesn't produce. I think he is up to a novel every year usually with a novella thrown in as well.

enominezerum 4y ago

But author wants to surround themselves with smart people per another of their postings, obviously this can't be done in low cost of living areas...