When I was in high school, I was certain I wanted to be a writer.

Which is why when I graduated and entered college at 16, I majored in mining engineering (and dropped out after 1 semester).

Which is why I later became a computer programmer.

Which is why I (even later) majored in mathematics and took it all the way through a PhD (in mathematical sciences) and then a PGCE in business.

I had accepted the “wisdom” of those around me that there was no money in writing. And maybe they were correct. I was an excellent computer programmer (still am at the conceptual level, though I’m behind on the tools). And I continue to love math enough that Kisstopher sometimes jokes it’s my mistress. But it was the business classes that most affected my choice to become a full-time writer.

Politically, I consider myself a socialist. I think everyone should have sufficient food, shelter, clothing, etc., to sustain a pleasant level of existence, whether or not they choose to work. I think most people would choose to work, but what they do for work might change.

I’m also a realist, though. I live in a capitalist society, and one that doesn’t think disabled people have much worth at all. Being a writer and taking freelance editing projects allows me the flexibility to make some money (not much at the moment because for the next 6 weeks I’m under a non-compete for academic editing) while giving me time to write and accommodating my erratic sleep schedule.

In business terms, I’m taking a risk. The potential payoff is large: if I begin selling books to even modest success, I’ll make enough to pay my portion of the bills without doing any editing. (And please check out our podcast and Patreon for more ways we’re trying to turn creativity into money.) If I sell lots of books, then Kisstopher will be able to phase out of therapy and focus entirely on the podcast and other creative pursuits.

I wrote my first two books while working full-time, and if I weren’t disabled, I might have kept writing while working full-time until my writing took off (or didn’t). That’s the “smart” advice. The safe advice. But I couldn’t keep working that way. It was breaking me, physically — I gained a lot of weight, my seizures increased, my sleep worsened, etc.

So I’ve leapt. I still have the parachute of freelance editing, but I’m hoping that between the podcast and my books, I’ll end up soaring. Then (and this is a joke), I can write a business book about how my path inevitably leads to success. (Please see our Twitter for all of the times I talk about survivorship bias.)

How much risk are you taking on writing? Do you hope it ever becomes your career?