To quote Britney Spears...

So I've been working as a freelance writer (officially, anyway) for about a year now. And I'll be honest, I've been making peanuts. Like, I can handle the Starbucks budget.... and that's pretty much it.

But I love writing! It's something I genuinely enjoy doing, even if the pay sucks right now.

I think that most people start out pursuing a writing career hoping to be the next J.K. Rowling, or Stephanie Meyer, or the chick who wrote 50 Shades of Unrealistic Expectations. Everyone dreams of writing that instant hit that garners you critical acclaim, a loyal fan base, and a big fat paycheck.

While that would be lovely, I am completely aware that it doesn't happen that way for 99% of writers.

I get that.

Most of us will toil away at low paying writing gigs, working on seven different manuscripts on the side, hoping that maybe something will hit. We will put our blood, sweat, and many tears (not to mention a whole heap of self-doubt and occasionally questioning our sanity) into our work, never completely sure that anything will come of it. We will nervously allow those closest to us to read our work, seeking feedback, reassurance, and ways in which we can improve. We will jot down setting notes and dialogue ideas on any scrap of paper we find (or if you're me, in the notes on your iPhone). And we will think of giving up eighteen times per week, while knowing that we couldn't possibly bring ourselves to walk away from our passion.

Contrary to the idealistic expectations of newbies, writing is not a glamorous endeavor. Nor is it a piece of cake, sought out by slackers who want easy money with little to no effort. Writing is actually hard work, and you get out what you put in.

Which brings me to the title of this post.

As Ms. Spears put it, "You better work, bitch!"

One good thing about being a writer in this day and age is that no longer do you have to hustle your butt to and fro different publishing houses, hocking your work to anyone willing to give you 5 seconds of their time. No longer do you have to blindly mail copies of your manuscript to editors, publishers, or agents, hoping someone will pull your work from the "slash pile" and give you a chance.

You still have to hustle, yes. You have to hustle your arse off. But you have technology on your side. You can network instantly with industry contacts without having to leave your couch. You can publish individual chapters on various sites, building a reader base and proving to publishers you are worth their time. You can even self-publish your books either digitally or in print, at a much lower cost than vanity publishers would charge, and get your work out there for the world to (hopefully) fall in love with. If your work does well, publishers will contact you! And if not... then you keep trying!

So that's what I've been busting my butt with recently. Establishing networks, building my portfolio of freelance work to gain the history and experience the "big" clients want ('cause that's where the money is), and meanwhile working on my manuscripts to be ready for the self-publishing saga.

I'm excited. I'm intimidated. I'm exhausted. I feel like I'm completely insane for even attempting this career goal.

But if you don't go for your dream, you'll always wonder 'what if...'