During my book tour, I met a woman named D at a reading.  She was a poet who studied at San Francisco State University in the MFA program.  Although she had a degree and was published, she worked for AT&T rather than teach creative writing at a university.  I wondered why.

“It’s easier to make a living,” she said.  “I have bills to pay and writing and teaching won’t pay them.  But I’m hoping to write more once I retire.”

“When will that be?” I asked.

“In two years,” she said.  Her face beamed with anticipation.

I moved on to talk with other members of the audience, selling books from the tote I carried.

After several rounds of conversation, D returned.

“It’s hard, isn’t it?” she said, nodding toward my half-empty tote.

Sure, I agreed making a living selling your words was tough, but it wasn’t any tougher than selling makeup or life insurance.  The cost of doing business included permits, sales taxes, and a percentage of the gross sales to the coffee shop owner, but the perks—free coffee, hours of intellectual conversation, and a road trip that doubled as a tax write-off—were part of a literary adventure I could tell my grandchildren one day.  I had even started filling a notebook full of ideas for what my husband joked was “that book I’m not writing.”

Obviously, D could not see the benefits, even after I tried to explain.  She just leaned closer to confide in me.  “I have a friend in New Mexico who only writes.  He’s never studied with anyone and lives off the graces of friends and relatives.  I keep telling him to get a job, go to school.  Writing does not have to be your vocation.”  She flipped open her cell phone and showed me a poem her friend had written.  It sounded like the description of furniture in an IKEA catalogue.

“That’s prose,” I said.

“Yes, it’s narrative,” D said.  “Not poetry.  But he won’t listen to me. “

Not everyone can make a living as a writer.  And not everyone can write full-time living off the bounty of others.  But some people succeed as full-time writers, especially if they use their creative powers to fine-tune their business savvy.

And that’s what I aspire to be—one of those full-time writers who craft a creative, fulfilling life that I can share with whoever is willing to join me.

See you at the next coffee shop.  The mocha’s on me…