On giving up the day job

When I began writing, way back in 2003, I quickly decided that I wouldn’t give up the day job. I didn’t want to put the kind of pressure on my writing that comes with needing to earn enough to pay the mortgage and the bills and put food on the table etc. Back then, my writing income was only ever a few hundred a year, from selling short stories to women’s magazines. I enjoyed writing, loved the buzz I got from selling something, and had fun spending that extra little income on treats for myself.

Then in 2014 I got my first book deal, and since then I’ve effectively been doing two jobs. The full time day job in IT for a retail company, and the second job as a novelist. And yes, writing has become a job rather than a hobby – there are deadlines and contracts and expectations. I still love writing, but I admit at times it’s hard when I’ve spent all day working to then go to my writing room in the evening and put in a few more hours. Sometimes I’m brain-dead by six pm, and in no mood to be creative, despite earlier in the day longing to get some words written.

For the last year or so, I’ve agonised over whether or not to give up the day job after all and become a full time writer. I’ve a pot of savings, and am close to the age when I can draw on my personal pension pot if need be – so financially I’m secure enough. My husband took redundancy a few years ago which then morphed into early retirement. There are so many things I’d love to do, places I long to go, and which would fit in around the writing.

So at last I handed in my notice. My last working day is to be 14^th February. I’m scared and excited and can’t believe that 31 years for the same company are about to come to an end, just like that.

I’m editing one novel and starting to write another, and have a stack of ideas waiting in the wings. We have a number of trips lined up, during which I’ll ensure I keep writing. I also have a backlog of other stuff I want to do – spring cleaning, thinning down the contents of our house ready for future down-sizing, that sort of thing. Those extra 40 hours a week I’ll have from stopping the day job will soon be used up!

As I write this, I just booked my leaving drinks at work. It’ll be hard to leave after so many years, but the time’s right. At least, it’s as right as it’ll ever be. Like deciding when to have a baby. Sometimes you’ve just got to take the plunge and go for it.

It’s the end of an era, but as I keep telling myself, the end of one era implies the start of a new one. I spent 31 years working in IT – why not spend the next 31 writing novels? There’ll come a time when I’m filling in a form, perhaps to apply for a new credit card or similar, where under ‘Occupation’ instead of writing ‘IT Technical Analyst’ I’ll write ‘Novelist’. And I’ll grin from ear to ear as I write it.

Wish me luck in my new life!