Fiction Writer: All Jobs are Tough

Introduction
The first piece of advice I have for people who want to be writers is "Write!" The second: "Get people to read your stuff no matter what the medium and figure out a way to make money at it." You can't just "be a writer" these days. You have to market yourself; moreover, you have to know your market and how to reach it, whether independently or through the standard "submissions" process.

Job Function
I love all aspects, even the stuff I hate.

Let's face it: there's nothing different about writing than any other business. Writer's create a specific product and try to sell it. That's that. There's something artistic and mystic about the process of creation, I will say that; however, there's nothing sexy about the economics. One has to write good, entertaining work, or you'll be registering for the LSAT's soon enough. Advertisement
Lifestyle
I work a lot. This is my life. I never want to retire. This is isn't work to me: it's my life. It is who I am and what I enjoy to do.

It offers me flexibility in my hours, but it is a hectic, somewhat uncertain lifestyle, exciting at times, depressing at others. The type of person that succeeds at this profession knows that they can do nothing else, eats broken-glass and for breakfast, but, MOST IMPORTANTLY, those that succeed tend to be good at what they do, viz. telling a story to an audience that is willing to pay money to hear that story told by them. .

Additional Information
Not a business for the weak... Or anyone seeing a shrink for that matter.