This week: The Art of the Side Hustle Edited by: Dawn Embers More Newsletters By This Editor
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For Authors Newsletter by Dawn
Sometimes we need a little side job in order to make progress, though it can be a hinderance to other goals. |
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For writers, it is common to have a side hustle. What is a side hustle? In technical terms, the phrase 'having a side hustle' usually refers to a job that is in addition to a primary (often full time) job. It is common for that side work to be based on more of a freelance style or project based that provides supplemental income. For some, the side hustle is a task or job that the person is more passionate about with the main job being used in order to make ends meet, though sometimes it's just a way to make that extra money. The app based driving and delivery jobs are a good example because many of the drivers for Lyft, Uber, Postmates, etc are doing that work on the side. However, even before those became popular, writers were the kings/queens of the side hustle.
For many of us, if we do get paid for writing, it's common for the jobs to be on the side of a main source of income. There are a few who manage to make writing their full time job. And there are plenty who don't make any money at all, they may write as a hobby or haven't reached the point of income. There are some side hustles that are great for writers.
1. Non-Fiction Freelance - Freelance writing small articles online or even for newspapers and other physical copy locations is a very common side job. The basis of freelance is to not be employed by the company but to provide a service short term or paid by each project. It's a little easier to find this type of work in the non-fiction realm and the pay will vary from very little (35 cents for a couple paragraphs) to hundreds, depending on the project and the one paying for it. Sometimes you will have claim to the work and sometimes you will have to sign a waiver letting someone else put their name or claim ownership to the work.
2. Ghost Write - Sometimes for fiction there is an opportunity to work on the side for someone by writing their story for them. Usually a ghost write job is one where someone wants to tell a story but they are uncertain about the actual writing so they will decide to pay a person in order to get that part done. The writer agrees usually to not have their name on the finished product. Pay varies depending on length and it isn't easy to find the jobs since there are many writers. Working with a person as a ghost writer will take a lot of work and communication, so it has its own challenges but it's an option for writers.
3. Non-Writing Gigs - While we are all writers and some are working towards a type of income from the effort, some of us may also be doing side hustles that are not related to writing. I bet there are a fair number of people on here who work for Postmates, Uber, Lyft, Wag (dog walking) or any of the other multitude of app based services. Or you even might have a more traditional side job, or two or three. We all do what we can to make those ends meet.
Another way to consider a side hustle is to think about the jobs of the characters in our stories. Whether writing general fiction, mystery, fantasy, or even non-fiction, there are ways to use a side hustle job within a story. Does your main character moonlight as a regular citizen in the fantasy community during the day and on the side are they an assassin? Maybe it's something tamer like having the own a shoppe to pay bills but solve magic based crimes on the side. A character could even be working a side hustle delivery job and come across a conflict that becomes an entire novels worth of adventure. So many options.
What about you? Do you have a side hustle? Does your character? Either way, consider what your character could do with a side hustle and get writing. |
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Is writing your side hustle/job? Does your character have to do extra work on the side?
“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
“The dream is free. The hustle is sold separately.” – Unknown
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