Today we’re very proud to present a guest post from anthologist and writer Nick Mamatas (Move Under Ground, Under My Roof, You Might Sleep, Sensation and others), whose new book Starve Better: Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life is available now from Apex Publications.
The Writer’s Life: Actually, It’s Awesome!
A few years ago when I was living in New Jersey, I crossed the Hudson into Manhattan to meet a friend for dinner. Smart guy, ambitious—he graduated from an elite university with a degree in mathematics, then went to law school. He’d made partner at an important law firm specializing in intellectual property, and was in Manhattan for some high-powered something-or-other. I was publishing some stories, receiving weird email from readers and editors, attending the occasional downtown party, getting into trouble, the usual. He owned a nice house in Chicago, had a charming wife, was making six figures. It didn’t even take two rounds of drinks before he shouted, “I wish I had your life!”
In my new book Starve Better, I talk about writing short subjects—both fiction and non-fiction—with an eye toward writing effectively and efficiently and making some money. Not good money so much as fast money. Relatively fast anyway, if slower than a weekly paycheck. For ten years I played the full-time freelance game before deciding to take a full-time job, and though I love predictable cash flow and dental insurance and paid time off and such, there are still plenty of things I miss about living the writing life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. There are plenty of articles describing all the hardships writers face, and tons of statistics about how unlikely it is for a writer to “make it” in any real way, but there are lots of positives to the writing life, even for nobodies like me. (I mean, have you heard of me? Of course not. Even my Wikipedia entry was nearly deleted a few weeks ago.)
Free Money!
Sometimes checks just sort of, you know, show up in the mail. A royalty check comes in. An anthology is sold to a new publisher and you’re owed a slice of the advance. You may wake up one morning to an email asking for reprint rights. These surprise checks aren’t very large—I’ve gotten unexpected checks for two dollars and ten cents, but also for a hundred dollars—but they show up fairly frequently. I got one for fifty bucks just last week. A story I wrote back in 2004 for the anthology Poe’s Lighthouse paid out when editor Chris Conlon resold the book to a new publisher. This happens all the time. Sometimes when approached for a reprint, I just type “Yes” in the reply email, to amuse myself by raising my per-keystroke pay-rate. One hundred dollars a letter, Y-E-S!
Free Time!
Yes, a freelancer is always on the clock. Midnight deadlines, anxious checking and re-checking of email, sudden inspirations that must be written down or be lost forever, that’s all true. These days, however, thanks to cellphones and laptops the eight-hour day is a memory for many working people anyway. But writers can and do carve out free time. Want to see a noon movie? Go ahead! Have to stand around all day in line at the Post Office? You can. In many civilized countries, people take afternoon naps. Join in that tradition. You can write any time, and have fun during the day. Life really is different in the middle of the afternoon for urban wanderers not bound by the iron law of rush-hour commuting. The city or town you live in might be very different than you think it is now.
Free Stuff!
It’s very easy for a writer of any small reputation to get tons of free books. Also, people often want to buy writers drinks. Accept them. One reader, who worked at a novelty and toy company, sent me a strange ornament in the shape of a Chinese soldier that lit up and played “The East is Red.” A ten-pound bag of the juiciest oranges ever showed up on my doorstep a few weeks ago. (Thanks Elsa!) People send me advice, good advice, about weightlifting and dog training. My friend Seth Cadin, a great writer in his own right, even made a little film for my latest novel, Sensation.
People actually pay for much crappier “book trailers” than that. People want to give things to writers, because we give things to them. Things like…
Free Minds!
Reading a book, or an essay or poem or story, can be a life-changing experience. Of course, most often the change is predictable: “Man, I want to be a writer too!” often replaces “I want to be an astronaut!” But even that is fine. After writing an article on writing for trade journals and other less glamorous markets for the tiny fanzine Flytrap, I received a letter from an aspiring writer. He had read my piece while in the waiting room of a hospital as his wife gave birth to their second child. He had published one or two short stories, but his day job at a local warehouse took up a lot of his time and didn’t pay very well at all. After reading my article, he made some adjustments to his resume, whipped up a portfolio and landed a much better gig writing software manuals, and in some small way he had me to thank for it. (The essay and some of the letter are both reproduced in Starve Better.)
Writing—fiction as well as non-fiction—actually does help people. Even the dumbest hackwork in the world may help someone with the stresses of their daily life, and better writing can change the world. Don’t you want to change the world? Yeah yeah, I know. Into what?
Well, that’s up to you.
Ok, of all your various guest postings this is actually my favorite. Especially the part about naps, and changing the world.
Glad you liked it! Nick is a really neat guy and a great writer.
Ya nailed it, Nick. The writer’s life truly is a better way to starve. I may not make a whole lot of money, because I’ll ALWAYS turn down a paid “boring” job to meet a fiction (unpaid) deadline– but it’s my choice. My commute is from bed to the Mac. My allergies are a hell of a lot better since I’m off the freeways breathing rush-hour exhaust twice a day. I love the book cover and title “Starve Better.” HA!
Love ya, Nick,
Anonymous-9
Hm, rather unconvincing. Virtually all of those benefits inure to anyone self-employed and virtually any category of self-employment is far more remunerative.