How to have a writing career while working full time and having a family?

Lola: How to have a writing career while working full time and having a family?
I work 4 days a week, about 9-10 hours and have three days off in a row. I have a young child, planning a second soon, and love to write but have had a hard time turning it into a career. I’d like to eventually make it a full time career, but am not ready to take that leap. First of all, I make more money than my husband right now (he’s in school) and we need my job, and second, I don’t know yet if I would be successful, so it’s a lot to bank on. I do want to write professionally, by the way, not just as a hobby. So, how can I build up my writing career while working and still having time for family, etc.?

Answers and Views:

Answer by K.K.
Consider freelance work with local magazines and newspapers. You’ll need to build a portfolio at some point and this would be an excellent start. E-mail editors at smaller publications and ask how you can get started writing small features pieces for them.

You should know firsthand it can take years to become successful as a professional writer. It’s a lot of work and it’s very competitive. It often pays very little and is one of those things where you either catch a break and score big or are one of the many out there barely making a dime.

And just as a helpful hint, when writing, numbers one through nine are spelled out and 10 on up are written as numbers. Secondly, your first sentence should read more like this:

“I work up to 10 hours a day, four days a week, followed by three days off.”

Good luck in your endeavor!