The semester I graduated high school, I had exactly one goal: Publish a novel within the next five years. Ideally, by the time I’d finished college, I wanted to have made decent headway in the traditional publishing process.
I graduated high school nearly 17 years ago. I have yet to achieve this goal.
Do I still dream of publishing a book? Absolutely. My plans — my timeline for getting there — has simply shifted over time. Along with my priorities and interests. The dream isn’t dead. I’m just not rushing it. And that’s why I’m OK with having “failed” that original goal. Things simply haven’t gone the way I originally thought they would. And honestly? I’m probably better off for it.
Writing Is Not a Lost, Irresponsible Option
Though it might seem like writing is a dead-end career that will only lead to misery, that’s not the case for a lot of successful writers. A little bit of realism is good; most writers aren’t going to become best selling authors. But just because you haven’t met your biggest writing goals yet doesn’t mean you never will.
Writing, as a career, can take many forms. After college, I continued pursuing an unexpected career path: freelance journalism. I didn’t have time to put in the work to get a book published. The time and effort I spent on that phase of my career was worth it. I paid off my student loans. I saved most of what I made in my early 20s. It wasn’t the original plan. But it’s the path that worked for me when I most needed it.
The Twists and Turns Are Part of the Journey
Since my early 20s, I’ve bounced between professional writing and editing. My current job has allowed me the energy and space I’ve needed to not only finish a first draft of a new book, but to heavily revise that draft as well. Now I have something on my hard drive ready to query — something I’ve never had before — and miraculously, I’m still making enough money at work to pay the bills.
Over the next 10 years, I envision my career will shift wildly and rapidly. I’ll write, and I won’t. Maybe I’ll publish this book, or a different one. Maybe I won’t. If we let the possibility of failure stop us from doing what we really love deep down — writing stories — the only ones we’re really letting down are ourselves.
Words Are an Unpredictable, But Worthwhile, Career
Writers don’t pursue this career because it’s stable, profitable, or easy. We do it because our hearts desperately want us to try. There are dozens of different ways to write for a living, or to find jobs and careers that incorporate a love of storytelling into your workday. It’s not going to go according to plan. And in a way, that’s kind of the most fun part about it.
Embrace the possibilities. Keep writing and see where it takes you. You will very likely end up someplace you never expected to be. But the hope is you’ll be glad you made it there. Plans are fine. But they can change. Let them.
