Your writing questions, answered: How do you start a writing career and balance it with life?

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

So I found a couple of ?s in my email today. Gonna answer 'em here, since they might be useful to others. I'll Storify when I'm done. Ahem!

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:18:50

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:18:50

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

The ?s are: 1. How do you find time to write when you have a day job/life is hard/tragic? 2. How do you get freelance jobs to build career?

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:19:46

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:19:46

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

I can only speak to these questions through the lens of my own writing life. Every journey is different. The key for me? I had help.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:20:34

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:20:34

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

I was a stay at home mom. So I had 2 kids under 3, which IS A JOB. But I wasn't the breadwinner. Husband supported my writing time. Lucky!

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:21:35

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:21:35

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

But the kids came first. So my key was to make writing my escape. While I was doing mom work, I dreamed of the next scene, couldn't wait.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:22:08

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:22:08

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

Kids went to bed, I sat down with my laptop. I didn't watch a lot of shows then. Had no hobbies. Didn't game. Either Mom or Writer. Period.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:22:38

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:22:38

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

So I would say the key there is: 1. Make writing a priority 2. See it as fun and not drudgery 3. Don't expect it to make $ right off.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:23:20

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:23:20

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

My first writing gig came when a friend started working for @coolmompicks and suggested I apply, too. She rec'd me. My blog was my resume.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:23:59

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:23:59

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

So I started writing reviews for $10 a pop. Got to where I was making $150 a month, which was a big deal to me. I was a pro writer!

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:25:08

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:25:08

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

So I started looking for more. A Patch opened in my town, so I sent in my resume and did some reporting for them. $50 a story, at first.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:25:47

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:25:47

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

The Patch petered out, but Cool Mom Picks became serious. I learned much about editing and writing succinctly, all while querying my novel.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:26:32

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:26:32

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

I haven't done a ton of other freelance, but the idea = be constantly open to diversification. Comics, editing, RPGs, ghostwriting. Try it!

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:27:47

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:27:47

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

Wrote my first book at age 31 in 2009. Got an agent in 2010. Had my first sale in 2011. First book came out in 2012. IT TAKES TIME.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:29:01

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:29:01

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

Are there times you can't write? Sure. I couldn't write for a few weeks after my dad died, and then again after grandma. But I was thinking.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:29:37

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:29:37

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

There's a big difference between saying, "I can't write now," and surfing the net vs. sitting down at your doc and just getting words down.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:30:08

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:30:08

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

I'm a big believer in keeping the day job. It's hard to be nimble and creative in your writing when you're worried about rent/insurance.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:34:40

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:34:40

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

Yes, there were times I felt totally hopeless. Accumulated 100+ rejections, trunked a book, had books not sell, didn't get writing jobs.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:38:14

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:38:14

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

It takes a sort of stubborn, dogged determination to be a career writer. Bad shit happens, you shrug and keep putting the words down.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:38:45

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:38:45

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

This is why they tell you to build a thick skin. Not for reading reviews. For the everyday grind where it feels impossible. BUILD A SHELL.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:39:14

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:39:14

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

Try getting creative? Save up for vacation week or over holidays. Work a 4-day week and save 1 for writing. Get up an hour earlier.  https://twitter.com/HanFreakinSolo/status/803231701094858752 …

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:41:06

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:41:06

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

I'm not saying it's easy. It never gets easy. When you're living off your writing, it's still hard, because there are expectations.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:41:52

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:41:52

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

The thing about book money is that you can't count on it. It shows up randomly, has huge chunks of taxes removed. Most need a dayjob/sigOth.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:43:21

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:43:21

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

Know what I did with my first book check? Gave back my leased car and bought a used, $10k Nissan Cube. Not so glamorous! Then? Savings.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:44:32

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:44:32

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

To go from dayjob to full-time writer takes YEARS, and that's if you're really lucky. It's a balance, keeping your soul and stomach fed.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:51:56

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:51:56

Delilah S. Dawson@DelilahSDawson

How do I stay focused and avoid distractions? OBSESSION. I am obsessed with the book. It's all I think about. I hold it in my head like pi.

Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:54:45

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— Delilah S. Dawson (@DelilahSDawson)Mon, Nov 28 2016 13:54:45