Get a Day Job, but Don't Get Too Good at It

The most defeatist thing I hear is, I’m going to give it a couple of years. You can’t set a clock for yourself. If you do, you are not a writer. You should want it so badly that you don’t have a choice. You have to commit for the long haul. There’s no shame in being a starving artist. Get a day job, but don’t get too good at it. It will take you away from your writing.

MATTHEW WEINER