UNDER THE COVERS
Take a LEAP?
Too much writing on her plate? Is it time to jump without a safety net? It depends on how you define ‘safety net’, says Gillian Harvey
Gillian Harvey
Despite having moved to France, more or less on a whim, in my early 30s, I’m generally not what you’d call a ‘risk taker.’ I like the illusion at least of stability – the feeling that no matter what, there’s a safety net waiting to catch me.
Yet I find myself waiting on the edge of what feels like a precipice career-wise. I’m finally making an income from my books, but can I afford to go all-in on the authoring?
For me, going ‘all in’ would mean ditching the feature writing, the real lives for magazines, the opinion and debate pieces that have been my bread and butter for over a decade and concentrating just on my novels (and this column, because let’s face it, when you enjoy something it’s not really ‘work’). I’ll admit it. I’m scared. When I first starting trying to make my way as a freelance writer in 2013, I was sending out several pitches a day, and getting just a handful of commissions a month. My income was by no means guaranteed.