You have to suffer for your art, is an expression know by many actors, singers, dancers, directors and, of course, writers. JK Rowling, best known for her iconic Harry Potter series, embodies this age old analogy more than most

You have to suffer for your art, is an expression know by many actors, singers, dancers, directors and, of course, writers. JK Rowling, best known for her iconic Harry Potter series, embodies this age old analogy more than most. Rowling was an English teacher working in Portugal and the victim of an abusive marriage when she took her newborn daughter and fled to Scotland, in her suitcase she had three chapters of what would become Harry Potter. She was now jobless, living on benefits and only finding time to write when her daughter was asleep. More often than not she ended up writing in cafés as her daughter would often fall asleep en route.
The first Harry Potter manuscript was completed in 1995 on a battered old typewriter and was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected it. JK Rowling was even advised to get herself a day job, with many claiming she would never make a living out of children’s writing. In the end, Bloomsbury Publishing bought the rights, after Alice Newton, daughter of the Bloomsbury Chairman (and 8 years old at the time) read the first chapter and instantly demanded the next one. The first book was published in 1997 and six more were released up until 2006, there has also been a series of film adaptations as well as a recent spin-off ‘Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them’. While you hopefully won’t struggle as much on the way to your first publication, here are a number of ways you can fund yourself in the meantime.
Part Time Work
A published author can earn the really earn the big money, but it can be a difficult road on the way to that first publication, and you need to keep the money coming in, in the meantime. More often than not, you may need to find a regular job, even if it’s only part-time. Gigs like waitressing and bartending can be very dependable jobs that allow you time around for them for writing, which of course is the most important thing. Plus you are bound to meet numerous larger than life people who could end up as great characters in your writing. Working to supplement your writing can be an inevitability, even Stephen King worked full-time as an English teacher in the early 70’s while he would write in the evenings, until his first novel, Carrie, was published and catapulted him to the world of all time great authors.
Loan
If hard time work finds itself hard to come by, you can always borrow money to tide you over in the short term. This can take the stress out of your finances for a short term, and allow you the time to dedicate yourself full to your writing. Whether you borrow money from friends or family, or you could decide to take out a payday loan from LoanPig It’s always important to remember to pay back any money you borrow on time. Be aware of the interest rates and never borrow more than you can afford to pay back.