On Work. And Life. And that sort of stuff. Advice me?

[LordSeriphus]

I recently started working a new job. The work itself is fine. I'm delivering pizzas and I enjoy it, because I love seeing suburbia and the architecture of houses I wish I lived in. My coworkers are either younger than me, mostly fresh out of HS, or much older than me. My boss is my favorite person there, and we talk a lot when closing together.

I'm starting my fourth week today.
I got the job, because I wanted a cosplay to wear to a convention, and I custom designed some pants years ago and decided that I should just forfeit some of my time to pay someone to make them for me.
(If you know anyone who could design great quality fantasy pants, let me know! I'll buy the shit out of them!!)

But here's the thing:

I have two more parts I want to finish for my novel by October. I'm getting a booth at a con with two friends. They'll be promoting their artwork, and the plan we had was for me to promote my novel and sell my first book (self-published) as a paperback. (All of our work is for a world I've created alongside them.)
The problem I have is that I've got about 120 days diminishing to finish my whole novel. (I wrote most of part one and edited it in about two months, but even on that writing binge, it wasn't what I spent most of my time doing.) I know I could finish my novel by October if I really work at it. Though motivation could be hard to keep.
Soooo.... Should I quit my job?? I'm technically homeless and couch surfing, but I've found a place to stay where the owner (An old buddy's mother) doesn't want rent. (And won't let me pay it, anyway.)
I like my job and my boss. But I feel like this is way more important to me. If I can't get down to three or four days off each week, I'm worried about whether I can finish my novel or not, and I really don't wanna wait a full year and miss out on the opportunity to start heading toward my larger goal beside my friends.

To end this off, I'm psyching myself out here. I really don't care much about money (I understand that I should grow up, I get that a lot), so having the job just feels like I'm looking nice for society and a few of my old friends that I don't even see anymore.
Also, I feel like shit, because I'm awake at night and use the weekends to see the people I care about. I've gone three weeks without seeing much of anyone other than the people at my work and I can feel it eating at me. (I really only find happiness from company with people I'm close to.)

As a 21, going on 22 year old Should-be-adult, would it be a wise decision to leave yet another job and just focus-fire on finishing an actual, physical book?? (This is the longest I've had a job, other than tutoring writing at the nearby college, which only gave me 8 hours a week and didn't pay me much of anything.)
(What is life and why does it suck to join the rest of civilization? Also, how do I find happiness once I start adulting like a normal person?)

TRDL: Work in the way of finishing my novel by a deadline I've created for a con. Should I give the bird to money and write instead?

[sushy00]

I think it is important that you find a place instead of being homeless/couch surfing. Keep your job, save up so that you can rent/buy a place. How many hours per week do you work currently? Maybe you could reduce the amount of hours but still keep the steady income and have more time for your novel. Writing is nice but if you are constantly stressing that you cannot find a place or that person that lets you stay kicks you out, you will not be able to wite well.

[minerrale]

Money can't buy happiness.
But having your own place could be nice, too.
If I have any advice to give, it would be based on my own experience : work part-time if you can, like reduce the number of hours you spend at work without actually quitting your job. That way you still have income (you will need it for printing your book, too!) but more time to focus on the things that matter most to you. After the con and all, you'll be better ale to decide what you want to/can do.
Do not let anyone else make the decisions for you. You only have the one life, and you know best how you want to live it. So trust yourself and please, please, learn the meaning of 'compromise'

[LordSeriphus]

@sushy00

I've tried to reduce my hours, but even when my boss reduces the hours, his boss gets on him for it. His boss says the workers' lives should be about the company, and that's what life is like.
So without extra drivers around, its hard to lessen my hours. I stay two hours extra almost every day I'm in. I don't know if I'm allowed to say "no" and just clock out. xD It's just a poor time for a time constraint.
I guess I'll just write what I can and hope that we get more drivers so I can work less days. Maybe I'll put a hiring sign at the front so people know. My boss wants more drivers, anyway.

Also, I don't want to live alone at all. I'd get too depressed alone. Eventually I'll be back with V, but he's found a place with some old friends of ours, and one of them doesn't want me to live there. So for now, I'm living where I'm able. My mother passed, and my dad and I don't get along, so I'm just going around until I get a place to settle for good.

[minerrale]

Yes, put up a hiring sign, do everything you can! Your life can't be about work...
I totally understand not wanting to live alone, but keep in mind that even living at 2 or more there are bills to pay, and rent... So having an income is always a good thing.
Write what you can, have fun, and try to do your best to have as much time as you can for yourself and your hobbies, whatever they are.
You got this, I believe in you!

[Shanny8]

It basically amounts to "I dont want to be alone". How are you going to finish writing if you're spending most of your time/energy avoiding being alone? I used to write stories; I NEEDED alone time to allow my imagination to flow & structure the story the way/direction I wanted to...even now in my comic scripting- I do most of my writing when I have quiet time to process how I want to set up the script and where I want things to go. I dunno; maybe you can thrive with that much distraction...

Being an "adult" doesnt mean NOT having fun, or that you have your shit together- but you do wanna be a little more decisive on certain decisions. I agree with @minerrale in the aspect that you need to learn not only to compromise, but also you're going to have to make sacrifices; you cant do everything and get everything the way you'd like. If you really want to write this book, then you may have to carve out some time to sit down and do it versus spending every weekend running around and seeing people...not saying do this every weekend- get the writing done that you claim to be passionate about.

You're eventually going to come to a crossroads where friends, co-workers, and life choices are going to go in different directions. You may end up being alone for some time; you may want to work on that- as long as you're meeting people and creating new friendships/relationships, you're never really "alone".

[sarrowsmith10]

I would say that you might need to evaluate your long term goals. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Do you want to be a professional writer? Are you planning on going to college? Being a career person at your current company?

I've been vending at conventions for 8 years now and I've been to dozens of shows. Conventions are like a giant unpredictable bubble and I would personally not base my livelihood on the success of a particular show. I try to get books published and out by a particular show and sometimes I miss those deadlines. It happens and it is not the end of the world. I don't think I'd quit my job based on the slim chance of getting a product out for a table. I might quit my job if a major publisher wanted to pick up the work and I had a deadline to meet. Novels are sometimes are hard sell for cons anyways, unless you are super famous. (Although I suppose it depends on the con)

So here's what I think. If you want to be a pro writer and that's your career dream, then dedicate yourself to it. Figure out what steps you need to get there and don't look back. Write your book, send it to hundreds of publishers, write more books, put out short stories, write childrens books, send comic book scripts to comics publishers, do whatever you need to, to get those freelance writing jobs. Maybe companies want you to have some sort of degree in communications or creative writing. Look into it. If that's the case, then yes, quit your job and focus 100% on that goal.

If writing is just your hobby, then I really think the responsible adult thing to do would be to work towards a career. Something to provide for yourself so you aren't couch surfing the rest of your life. Good jobs are hard to find these days, so if you have a good job, with a boss you like, save up some money, save up some PTO and work on your hobbies when you have time. Because that's what they are. Hobbies.

[sushy00]

Who is V? Well if they just let you go homeless, you cannot really count on them right?
I guess you will have to look for housing options without them. That can be with room mates or on your own. Living by yourself is great btw, but that is personal I guess.
Also, work your hours according to your contract. If you stay extra long, you should be paid more hours. If they do not do that, just clock out! TIME = MONEY

[GinnyClyde]

I write full time and I still have no time for friends. I live with my family, so its not difficult to see them but they do get irritated when they only see me at meal times. Writing and finishing up a novel takes time. Cut down the time you're spending on friends and use the weekends or any free time on your novel.
You should keep a steady job because it looks good on a resume. It matters in the future. Trust me.

If writing is something you want to do as a career, then you have to look forward to a lot of time where you are alone. However, if meeting people and socialising feel more important for your well-being, then you need a back-up for making money.

Also, in my very humble opinion, conventions are important when you have a lot of fans. Without that, you may gain some limelight but selling only a few copies won't be enough to pay for the cost of the booth. 21 is still quite young, so keep your options open until you are really sure what you'd like to do.

All this advice is from my personal experience. Take it with lots of salt. Good luck with everything! ^_^

[danrafter]

I have a full-time job as a journalist, and I write fiction on the side. This means getting up early, early in the mornings and writing at night when the rest of my family members are watching TV, reading books or relaxing. I'd never rely on fiction writing -- or comics writing -- for a livable income. Most writers work a full-time job and write. It's just the way it is.

[Wumbl]

Honestly, never prioritise a passion project over looking after yourself. Make sure you've enough money to get yourself on your own two feet and then dedicate spare time to the passion project.

You shouldn't have to give up on securing a comfortable living situation just to work on a book. Sure, you love the book and all but the book doesn't guarantee your financial and emotional stability. It's just not really living in the real adult world to give up your job and remain homeless just to write. I have a full-time job (35-45 hour work weeks) and I am able to find time to work on my comic and my writing...

Figure out a way to optimise your spare time but good lord, don't purposely turn yourself into a "starving artist". Please get your finances together and make sure you've got a secure place to live. You don't have to "care about money" you just need to care about your security and safety. Being homeless is not safe or sustainable and you've got no real foundations without a day job.

You might think it makes you unhappy to be working, but... maybe you're unhappy for other reasons. Purposely not working and being without a home is pretty self destructive.

Imagine how people feel about having to let you sleep on their couches and stuff... Sure they care about you and all but you've got to realise that exploiting others when you could easily avoid it is a bad move in the long run.

(Before you say anything about how it's hard earlier in life... I'm 19 and I'm a manic depressive with PTSD. Working full time isn't that bad. It doesn't ruin me. I feel better than I did when I was in education.)

[Jenny-Toons]

As a 21, going on 22 year old Should-be-adult, would it be a wise decision to leave yet another job and just focus-fire on finishing an actual, physical book?? (This is the longest I've had a job, other than tutoring writing at the nearby college, which only gave me 8 hours a week and didn't pay me much of anything.)

Alright -- I'm going to give you the blunt answer, and this is coming from a 20 year old who wants to pursue the similar dream you want to.

The answer is no -- no, it is far from wise to leave your job that is giving you a steady income and gambling all of that on trying to finish your book.

@wumblebumarts and a few others hit it directly on the nail, and I'm here again to basically repeat what they're saying.

You really need to evaluate your living and financial situation before you think about trying to get published. As of right now, based on how you've described your situation, quitting your job would not be the right course of action. You need some type of income to support yourself, your health, and your living situation.

Not caring about money is not the same as needing money. You don't have to have a lot of money in the sense of "rich, wealthy, living it up in Beverly Hills". You just need enough money that helps you live comfortably, safe, and stress-free. Because lemme tell you -- you will not be able to focus on your writing if you're worried about money and where you're going to live. As messed up as it is, we live in a society where money is a key in our security.

I get it -- adulting is hard. I'm 20 years old, and I'm still not ready to be an adult. No one ever is. There is no narrow path to being an adult. It comes gradually with experience, maturity, and age. But even if we're not ready, we still have to take on the responsibilities that come our way.

I want to become a published Graphic Novelist with several comics published. But that's a very competitive field, and there is no guarantee that A) I'll get published and B) I'll make enough money to be supported. I can't bet my security on that. So, I'm majoring in the next best thing I adore -- Electrical Engineering. That is going to guarantee me an income that can support my passion. And right now, I work an paid internship that's an 40 hour/week job. I find time to work on my comics after work (which is 3 hours a day before bedtime).

It might not be at the pace I would like to work, but I'd rather have some time to work on my comics and still be secured than to have all the time in the world but worry about money, worry about where I'll be living, and worrying about my security.

It's not uncommon for artists and novelists to take up working hours while doing what they love. Stephen King is a strong example of this -- he majored in English and was a teacher before he became a writer. He already had an income coming in to support him.

The days of the starving artist are slowly dwindling. Barely anyone wants to struggle for their art these days. They love what they do, they're passionate about it. But they also love to be able to eat, have money, and be secured.

If you do like the work environment that you're in, if your boss is actually caring about you, and the income is steady and giving you comfort -- do not drop it. You just have to learn to compromise and time manage between your job and your passion like the rest of us. You have to learn how to manage times with your friends, between your working hours, and between your passion.

There really isn't a short-cut way to do this. Everyone has to do this sooner or later. I'm doing it right now, and I think I'm handling it pretty well. I might get overwhelmed sometimes, but I do what I gotta do to make sure I feel safe and secured enough to continue my passion.

I know this novel is important to you. It's your baby, your child. As a fellow creator, I definitely know that pain of putting it to the side. But as a person, I will still tell you that your health is also important. Your security is also important.

All of that is way more important than your passion.

[Rowein]

I think if you focus and organize everything, you can do all.
As you describe your work, I though you really like it and it will be a pity if your lost it.
In my personal experience, I think any job is a valuable source of experience and dignity, in some ways. You can learn a lot about people, things you can use to build your characters. If you can save one of your free days in a while and focus in your novel, I think you can do it. Just make a schedule or something to keep you organized, because you are young and have enough energy to accomplish everything.
Go for it!

[fuyudust]

I would say feed yourself first, cutting your one and only income source is the worst move ever, your situation is terrible enough so don't cornering yourself even more. Books or whatsoever, you can always just trim your sleep time for it.
I bet most of comic artist and novel writer with day jobs here only sleep 4 to 6 hours a day, the healthy 8 hours is too luxury. Also writing inside your head while doing other things like driving or packing stuffs etc.., is a convinient skill any creators should learn, it will be confusing at first but once you can make it into a habit, life will get a whole lot easier.

[LordSeriphus]

Alright, alright. So I've decided that I'm gonna keep at my job for as long as I can. I did a bunch of metaphorical maths, and found that I can finish my novel by the deadline I've created, as well as some side work, even with the job I've got going. If things work out with new hires and my boss can help my schedule lessen, that'll be a bonus. I have a lot of stuff I've been working on on the side of my novel, but from the amount of tasks I've created and things I'd like to learn, its been taking more time than my novel work has, and I wasn't really accounting for it. I'm gonna focus-fire on my novel until the deadline hits and see if I can finish it beside work. Then I'll start adding the other things I'd like in my life.

Also, to those asking, my main career goal is to work as a novelist and as a game developer. For hobbies, I scream (like, the music stuff that no one is a fan of), skate, and suck at art and playing guitar and singing. My main goal is to try to get somewhere with my novel writing, and eventually work on creating the world V and I have made into a game. If we can make it, we'll be producing smaller games as side projects until we finally release the game created from our world. But the end goal is that game. All of the novels I write will more than likely be about characters within KD.

@sushy00 V is Hellvyre Ventalous. We've been great "friends" since third grade. He and I have been creating KDamascuonj (KD) together for over seven years. I wouldn't call us friends or brothers, really. We're inseparable. We share the main goal in life, which is creating KD or die on the way to it. He lives at our buddies house, but the guy who kinda heads the house won't let me live there, because I'm too emotional. xD I'm chill with everyone else who lives there, though. But the one dude is super strict and uptight. I'd be living there and paying rent just fine if it wasn't against him. But for V the place is only temporary. We're gonna move back in together after the lease has ended.

To everyone who read and commented on this post, sorry for asking a stupid question. I know the answer seems simple as hell, but honestly, I find writing more important than eating whatever I want when I want. And I'm not extremely worried about my survival. I've tried to unsurvive many times, but I'm still around. And the only thing I can think of doing with my life is creating this world like I'm supposed to. I actually find it more important than my own life, and (personally) believe that I'll get to create it on a much larger scale once my carcass dies off.
I'll keep at working, I guess. I'll just devote more free time to my novel, instead of my numerous hobbies. I have a lot of goals, so sometimes I struggle with which I should chase at an exact moment. But after reading the replies and doing the metaphorical maths, I know what I should do first and where to go next.

Thanks for the help, everyone! Just saying shit instead of sitting with myself usually throws me in the right direction. I'm gonna kick this novel's ass and keep moving to the next projects I have in store!
Cheers!

[minerrale]

Go own it! You have the drive, you'll get to it, but you can't do that if you let yourself starve I believe in you buddy! And let us know how it goes, okay?

[Wumbl]

Proud of you pal. Hoping you can ride this thing out and achieve your deadline! Good luck with saving up some money as well.

[LordSeriphus]

I have as of now saved the money I needed for the objects I want. I'm out of a job come Monday, and I'm stoked!! So much project time will be gained! I have a lot of goals I'm hitting, and hopefully I can keep that up. If I need money again for any reason other than the good chunk I've needed and the extra I've saved, I'll be able to just reapply and get hired back into my current job. so things are at a rad spot right now! ^.^

And I started looking through literary publishers I might want to submit to once I finish my work. I plan on self-pubbing through amazon, then scouting the publishing houses to see if they'd be willing to get my work onto physical shelving units.
(Sorry for the way I'm coming off right now. I'm super amped, but I really should be getting to sleep soon, because I need to be up in six hours. But I still need to shower first. xD)

And thanks for the supportive words! ^.^

[Wumbl]

It's definitely good that you've got a spot at your job waiting for you... That adds some security to the situation for sure. It's also really good that you've got the money you need to work on your project.

It sounds like things are looking up for you! Keep on keeping on.