It has taken me years to figure out how to answer people when they ask me what I do. There is actual pain in my stomach when I hear that question. Not because I don’t want people to ask, but because I have been afraid of what peoples reactions will be when I tell them.

For most of my adult life I’ve been writing computer software. So I’ve been a writer, of machine language. A few weeks ago it hit me. I’m a split writer. I write code by day and prose by night. That seems like a great compromise. Saying I write prose has prompted the next question; what is prose? That’s what I want to hear. Gives me a chance to talk about my story writing and not just my code writing.

A couple interesting things I have adopted to give myself more time to writing prose. First, I’ve made sure that when I sit down to write my family knows that’s what I’m doing, and to keep interruptions at a minimum. Second, I look at my schedule, where I’m going to be, and plan blocks of time to write. Third, I’ve started to carry a notebook specifically for writing. This way if I’m somewhere and have some extra time, I can write my thoughts down. I love writing on paper. It’s a great break from pounding on the keyboard.

Will I ever make enough money in my life from just writing? Probably not. I would venture only a very small majority of writers actually make a living writing. So, I’m good with having this day job writing code, as long as I can write my prose any other time.

Are you more than just a writer? How do you handle both at the same time?

Picture courtesy of OmarC.

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