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Do you have dreams of being a full-time writer? You need to take your writing full-time at the right time, but when is that time?
When you first started writing online, your dream was to turn it into a full-time gig. You want to make a living writing, and that hasn’t changed.
Your client base is growing. Now you’re looking at when could be the best time to take your writing full-time. Is now the right time? Here are the main factors to consider to see if it’s time for you.
Take your writing full-time when it replaces your income
How much money do you currently make from your writing*? Is it close to your full-time income? If so, it could be time to turn to writing full-time. After all, you’re not going lose the main income level that you have.
Just keep in mind what you have been doing with your writing income. Has it been going into savings, or have you used it to supplement your income? When you move to writing full-time, you will end up losing the supplemental income. If you’ve put it in savings, this isn’t too bad. You’ll likely need those savings to supplement some of your income.
You want to make as close to a full-time income before you switch. If there is too much of a gap, you’ll need to dip into your savings.
The good thing about writing full-time is that you have the chance to build your income to even more than your current job, but you need to work on building that client base. Without your full-time job, you’ll have more time to work on gaining that client base.
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You’re ready to take the risk going full-time
Your current job offers you a little bit of security. You have benefits, and you know how much you’ll make each month. This can offer you that safety net that you need to be able to write on the side.
When you take your writing full-time, you lose that security blanket. You have to make sure you make money from your writing to keep affording the life that it is now. Are you willing to take that risk?
Not everyone is willing to take that risk, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe you need one more client, or you need your savings to reach a particular amount. It’s time to set a goal so that you know when it is time for you to move into writing full-time.
Your writing and client base have been consistent
Just because you are now at a level when you can write full-time* doesn’t mean you should jump straight into it. It’s important to get consistency first.
You’ll want to make sure you’re able to keep your current client base and writing schedule. Growing it is fine, but you want to make sure that you’re able to gain some consistency in your work and keep your clients coming back. Without this, you can’t make a full-time income.
This can take a few months. Set a time period when you think it is worth taking the risk to jump into full-time writing.
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Are you ready to write full-time? What advice would you offer to those looking to start their writing career? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
