Clarification

I’ve now received a few emails on the subject of my last post, so I wish to clarify:

I did not leave my job because I was going to be published. I did not leave my job because of deadlines or promotional concerns. I had, in fact, saved up enough vacation time that I would have been able to take off all the time I needed for promotion, and I met my deadline just fine in 2005 with a job. It would have been the same in 2006.

I left my job because I had the financial capability to do so, and because my current job was not one that would prove impossible to replace a year or so down the line. Period.

I don’t own a house and I don’t have kids, so my expenses are relatively small, and I’m risking very little. If I did have dependents or high fixed costs (especially considering health insurance) I would not have left my job.

I also always have a date in my mind for when I will start looking for a new job if I don’t have additional income from writing.

If you do think of becoming a full time writer, this is what I recommend:

Plan A: Find a Wealthy Spouse (with really good medical/dental coverage).

Plan B:
1) Be very healthy. Medical costs are high.
2) Don’t have kids. Kids are expensive, incur a lot of medical costs (again, hope the kids’ other parent has good health coverage at their job), and expect to go to college.
3) Cash balance or guaranteed income (book advance, lottery win, inheritance, wealthy spouse, discovery of buried treasure) of at least 150% current yearly income for two years. (150% to offset cost of agent commission, promotion, independent catastrophic health insurance for one person, and self employment tax). Two years because of the following:
4) Make sure that the job you are leaving is one that can be replaced at some future point within six months.
5) Always have a failsafe point and plan beyond which you will be looking for a job. Set the failsafe point at 1.5 years (your mileage may vary), when you still have six months of income.
6) Bookmark info about Careers @ Starbucks.