cold spaghetti at 5am - the lows and lows of authorhood

One of the popular misconceptions is that writing a novel is essentially a get rich quick! scheme.

In fact, this misconception is so widespread that many within the litature industry always go on the defensive the moment someone walks up and says "I'd like to be a writer".

I wish it was a method to money. Really. No one writes for money (unless they're already famous, but then they probably don't need the cash) but equally I can't think of many authors who wouldn't want to be called JK Rowling or Stephen King. Let's face it, they're at the top--the very top--of their craft and they have rightly earned the right to have their bank manager make a home visit with a smile, instead of with baliffs.

But for us, at the other end of the spectrum, things aren't quite so sweet-smelling. Allow me to give you a good example:

It was 5:00am on Sunday morning when I started this. I'd spent Saturday on a long journey around town. My body needed that. After weeks of being couped up in my cell (aka: my study), I'd gotten to see real people and looked at items more than a monitor screen's distance away.

When I got home it was late and I was tired. I had a nice bath to relax my muscles (although my feet ache now) and cooked some spaghetti. I went to bed thinking I'd get a nice sleep, wake up refreshed and have another day at work.

Except it's not quite worked out that way.

First, I couldn't sleep. Why, I do not know. But I couldn't. To make maters worse I began thinking about things...things to do with money. Then I began to worry and wonder:

Could I really publish this novel?
Can I really get people to buy it? (I'm not counting you, dear reader, because I know you will buy it!)
If it doesn't work out, then what?

It's true I've invesgted a lot into this dream, too much in fact. I left school without much in the way of qualifications so now I am not earning much money (no money!). I'm a 27 year old man and I have no life because I mustn't be away from my work for too long because if I am not working then I am not getting closer to earning money.

So I got up and am composing this blog post. I'm too sleepy to work but too awake to sleep. So I am writing this hoping I can trick my body and mind into thinking I've worked my fill and can sleep. I'm also eating left over spaghetti because there is no food in the house.

Now about writing being a get rich quick scheme...