On: You Can't Do What You Want By Doing Something Else

There are inarguably a lot of people in the world who _do_ make their living as writers, so I think it comes down to your definition of 'reasonable'.

Re asking myself difficult questions, I think that's a fair point, and it's something I think about every day. Each time the answer is 'yes', though :-)

Many thousands of people make their living as opera singers, sculptors, and professional athletes. But they represent a tiny minority of the very talented people who aspire to do this and fail. There's a similar dynamic in writing.

Note that I am not saying "do not try to be a writer". Just don't expect to be able to make your living that way.