Ask HN: Has anybody successfully changed their career to become a writer? - PirxThePilot
======
billwear
Changed and changed back: I started as a programmer in Summer 1980; by 1994 I
was tech writing, and then ghosting business books, and finally ghosting
fiction. Seeing the low returns of even really good authors -- for one popular
business book, I got $30K to ghost it, the author ended up making only $7K --
I decided to re-tool and learn Web languages. Now I'm a reasonably-well-paid
Wiki administrator for a medium-size public medical software firm. I don't
think it's one career, it's kinda surfing in place.

------
mrep
Andy Weir was a programmer when he wrote the martian:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Weir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Weir)

~~~
eyrarric
And he may have had more impact as a writer than as a programmer:
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/achenblog/wp/2015/05/05/...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/achenblog/wp/2015/05/05/andy-
weir-and-his-book-the-martian-may-have-saved-nasa-and-the-entire-space-
program/)

------
Someone
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler)

There probably are more at [https://bloom-site.com/about/](https://bloom-
site.com/about/) _”literary site devoted to highlighting, profiling,
reviewing, and interviewing authors whose first major work was published when
they were age 40 or older.”_

~~~
marktangotango
Reminds me of Glenn Cook a celebrated fantasy author who went under the radar
for decades. He wrote all his novels manning a console at an auto plant on the
night shift. Good stuff.

------
zapperdapper
Do you have to change your career to become a writer? I would focus on
becoming a writer, and then if it works out change your career.

Also, it depends what kind of writer you want to become - some options are
easier than others. For example, would you classify a journalist as a writer?
Is technical writing "writing"?

Barry Eisler is a good example of a writer who broke into writing gradually. A
former lawyer, it took him 7 years to get his first book published. He wrote
in lunch breaks, on flights, after the kids went to bed. He had to re-write
that first book at least twice based on feedback from agents/publishers.

Ted Chiang is an example of a technical writer who changed into science
fiction writing.

I changed from teaching into technical writing.

How you will change into writing (which I assume is what you want) will depend
on your starting point and how far down the road to becoming a writer you
already are.

p.s. Have a read of "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert - I believe there's much
of value in her suggested approach.

------
armenarmen
Successfully? Not me but I got the audio version of my book up as a podcast:
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecaine-scummy-tech-
fo...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecaine-scummy-tech-for-techie-
scum/id1321755882?mt=2&i=1000396467718)

Fiction about 2 devs that sell coke to fund their redundant start up

------
ahdroit
[https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/so-you-want-be-
writer](https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/so-you-want-be-writer)

~~~
gargarplex
Yeah. I recently wrote a book and got most of it done within a few hours of
morning + coffee sessions over a few weeks and one or two airplane rides. It
made like $12K in its first year and it was really easy. Thinking this was an
incredibly time-efficient way for me to earn money and contribute to society,
I tried to write a sequel and have stalled.

The initial book just poured out of me. I had an outline, I knew exactly what
I wanted to say and I just wrote the content. In that way it was like tackling
a college paper or trello board, but instead, a few hundred pages of text.

Like I've said.. no other ideas have really coalesced into something
outlineable and easy-to-market.. I have one manuscript that's 80 pages and
sucks, another at 40+, etc etc. Reminds me of the hobbyist programmer
population here with tons of unfinished projects.

I really had something to say and felt entitled to say it.

~~~
armenarmen
How did you publish and promote? I’m sitting on a finished book now and I’m
sort of at a loss for what to do with it. I put out some of the audio as a
podcast that has done “ok” but haven’t pulled the trigger on actual publishing

~~~
gargarplex
* Self-publishing was with Amazon, draft2digital, and direct sales (sendowl)

* Did cover on Canva.com

* Made a list of podcasts in the programming niche and emailed a bunch of the hosts with suggesting they invite me as a guest

That's about it. I do some ongoing pay per click marketing too.

------
rpschill
I went the other way. I was a writer, and now I'm a developer because having a
family is expensive.

------
usgroup
Ha! Well I’ve thought about it ... but first I really need to work out a sound
and complete story calculus to make sure his damned thing is self consistent
... then , well the story arc needs to balistically perfect for which I’ll
really need differentiable characters ... wait maybe I’m thinking about this
the wrong ? Hang on let me google to see if someone’s come up with a story
writing language.

:)

------
stewofkc
I wouldn't say I've changed my career to become a writer. However, I've
shifted directions and have began writing a ton more as part of my career.

I'm in marketing, and before was focused quite a bit on social media content
which was just quick little snippets accompanied with a photo. Now I write
mainly long form content for blogs.

I focus on digital privacy and security at:
[https://choosetoencrypt.com/](https://choosetoencrypt.com/)

If you like writing, you can incorporate it into many careers, without having
to quit your job and be a starving artist.

------
msh
Charlie Stross did and is now a very successful science fiction author. He
wrote about his career changes here: [http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-
static/2009/07/how-i-go...](http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-
static/2009/07/how-i-got-here-in-the-end-my-n.html)

------
avastmick
I tried, but failed in the career shift. I found myself more draw to the tools
than the writing. The problems of the extant tools were too distracting and I
felt I was more drawn to solving those problems than the many my writing threw
up. Once a code geek, always one, I guess. But, if you're keen give it a go,
but it will be unlikely to support you unless you are exceptionally lucky.

------
jonjacky
The Nobel prize winning author J. M. Coetzee worked as a programmer when he
was young - he describes it in his autobiographical novel, Youth. The
promiment novelist Richard Powers worked as a programmer when he was young -
that part of his life is described in the recent book, The Friendly Orange
Glow.

~~~
badpun
Michel Houellebecq was doing simple (back in the nineties) web dev for the
European Parliament while writing his first novel.

------
matheweis
Matt Gemmell was quite the prolific developer before he transitioned out of
tech into writing: [https://mattgemmell.com](https://mattgemmell.com)

------
carthall3
Whether technical or creative writing, todays writing cannot be replaced with
a full time job. Unless of course you are writing for a huge publication.

------
exolymph
What kind of writing do you have in mind?

------
mrbill
Charlie Stross was once a sysadmin/programmer.

Larry Correia was an accountant (and a gun store owner).

------
apengwin
Keith Winstein was a journalist at WSJ for a short while, I think!

------
taprun
I've seen people move to technical writing.

~~~
snowpanda
This is my plan, how did they like it?

~~~
zapperdapper
I love it. Check my website (see HN profile) or contact me if you want more
info.

