Being a full-time writer is something that you really have to have passion for. You have to reinvent yourself with every new project; every time you finish something, you have to say, “That’s great, but it’s time to move on to the next thing.” You have to be constantly vulnerable, writing from within, fully committed to creating something you know people will gravitate toward. It’s something you have to live and die for. You can do other jobs to make ends meet—and you’ll probably have to—but you’ve got to jump into your writing wholeheartedly and without fear.
Everyone has his or her own road. I served coffee, fetched bagels, and sharpened pencils as a production assistant and gradually worked my way up to being a writer’s assistant. But while I was an assistant, I was always committed to writing, and I was telling people about it: “I’m writing this great story. I wish you’d read the script.” Of course, you don’t want to pester people about it, but you have to be passionate about your writing, and you have to communicate that to people. The people you talk to might start to think, “You know, I like what she’s writing. Maybe I’ll give her a chance on the writing staff.” Or maybe one of the people you’re working for knows somebody who might be interested in your project and can put you in touch. Or maybe someone you meet at a party becomes interested in your project and decides to invest in it. But that will never happen if people don’t know that you’re writing and passionate about it. Even if you’re not a people person, you need to find ways to reach out to anyone who might like what you’re doing.
But most of all you have to love what you’re doing, because it can be rough. You have to weigh what’s really important. If you can’t pay the electric bill and your kids are hungry, get a job. But if you don’t have that many responsibilities and you have this passion, jump in. Go for it, and don’t be afraid of the rejection. Know that a hundred, maybe a thousand doors are going to slam in your face. Sometimes, you may have to go back to the drawing board and ask why it’s happening and figure out how to change it. Find people who will be honest with you about why you’re being rejected so you can figure out how to improve. Go back, hone your skills, and try again. If this is something you know in your heart is exactly what you need to be doing, then you’ll have to figure out a way to keep at it.
There are too many outlets available for you to give up. Find an audience. The web has resulted in a huge variety of ways to get noticed—just think about how many overnight sensations there are on YouTube. Start a blog that will help build you an audience. If you can find one or two people who relate to your story, then you can be sure there are thousands more out there. You just need to find them.