--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a professional writer is not an…" description: "\"Being a professional writer is not an easy way to make a living.\" — Tracy Kidder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/tracy-kidder-8859_easy_being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-ea_1133602.jpg" --- # Being a professional writer is not an easy way to make a… ![“Being a professional writer is not an easy way to make a living.” quote by Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/tracy-kidder-8859_easy_being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-ea_1133602.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/tracy-kidder-8859_easy_being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-ea_1133602.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/tracy-kidder-8859_easy_being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-ea_1133602.jpg) > “Being a professional writer is not an easy way to make a living.” [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing professionally offers creative fulfillment but often yields unstable income and demanding schedules. **In simple terms:** Writing is rewarding but financially hard. Key Takeaway Balance passion with practical planning. Themes career finance creativity stability Mood reflective realistic Type advice career When to use this quote - freelance contracts - publishing deadlines - budgeting - career transitions Key Concepts economics work-life balance artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you sustain yourself while pursuing writing? - What strategies can mitigate income volatility? A Different Perspective Financial insecurity can limit creative freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Easy way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-way/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Make Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-living/) [Professional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional/) [Professional Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-writer/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-make/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-easy-571129/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I can see how a relationship with a writer would be an easy thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/i-can-see-how-a-relationship-with-a-writer-would-be-an-easy-thing/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [The arts are not a way to make a living,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-arts-are-not-a-way-to-make-a-living/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Always I'm working on some of book. That's the way I make a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/always-i-m-working-on-some-of-book-that-s-the-way-i-make-a-living/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I'm all about supporting anyone whose art is also the way they make their living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-alba/i-m-all-about-supporting-anyone-whose-art-is-also-the-way-they-make/) [Jessica Alba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-alba/) > [Acting is the way I make my living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-coyote/acting-is-the-way-i-make-my-living/) [Peter Coyote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-coyote/) > [I'm not the most talented writer in the world. I know that. But I also know that I'm disciplined, that I work my butt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-coe/i-m-not-the-most-talented-writer-in-the-world-i-know-that-but-i-also/) [David B. Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-coe/) > [“A professional writer is an amateur who never gave up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/a-professional-writer-is-an-amateur-who-never-gave-up/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [My personal opinion is that, if you're a professional writer, that you do have quotas. So every day I do try to write 800-1,200…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bohjalian/my-personal-opinion-is-that-if-you-re-a-professional-writer-that-you/) [Chris Bohjalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bohjalian/) > [Here's the bottom line; writers write. Sometimes words flow easily. Sometimes it's like sloughing through mud. Either way a professional writer keeps writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-c-cast-2/here-s-the-bottom-line-writers-write-sometimes-words-flow-easily/) [P. C. Cast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-c-cast-2/) > [“Do you know how you can tell a professional writer from an amateur?" "No." "An amateur worries about the work before starting. A professional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/do-you-know-how-you-can-tell-a-professional-writer-from-an-amateur-no/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [When I first started doing stand-up back in Philadelphia, the idea of being a professional writer was completely beyond me. It didn't even occur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-f-tompkins/when-i-first-started-doing-stand-up-back-in-philadelphia-the-idea-of/) [Paul F. Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-f-tompkins/) > [“Most people probably didn't think I'd make it as a professional writer. But I couldn't follow their advice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/most-people-probably-didn-t-think-i-d-make-it-as-a-professional/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [It is perfectly possible to be a professional director or a professional writer and not to be an artist: merely a sort of executor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/it-is-perfectly-possible-to-be-a-professional-director-or-a/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [In the usual way I submitted manuscripts to publishers. This was not so much a feeling that I should be published as a wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/in-the-usual-way-i-submitted-manuscripts-to-publishers-this-was-not/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [“I had been a writer all of my life, every waking second, and now that part of my life was over. I suppose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-greer/i-had-been-a-writer-all-of-my-life-every-waking-second-and-now-that/) [Bonnie Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-greer/) ## More by Tracy Kidder > [“He sniffed, and said as others had before him and others no doubt would again, "I have learned never to say, 'Never again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/he-sniffed-and-said-as-others-had-before-him-and-others-no-doubt/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Don't worry about being worried. You're heading out on an adventure and you can always change your mind along the way and try something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/don-t-worry-about-being-worried-you-re-heading-out-on-an-adventure/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-that-enduring-geological-features-are-important-though-i/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“In the process Paul laid out a comprehensive theory of poverty, of a world designed by the elites of all nations to serve their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/in-the-process-paul-laid-out-a-comprehensive-theory-of-poverty-of-a/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“Farmer liked to tell his Harvard students that to be a good clinician you must never let a patient know that you have problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/farmer-liked-to-tell-his-harvard-students-that-to-be-a-good-clinician/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“One shouldn't expect anyone to be complete at any given moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/one-shouldn-t-expect-anyone-to-be-complete-at-any-given-moment/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-want-my-prose-to-be-as-clear-as-a-pane-of-glass/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [What I like about non-fiction is that it covers such a huge territory. The best non-fiction is also creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/what-i-like-about-non-fiction-is-that-it-covers-such-a-huge-territory/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Things were here before you and will be here after you're gone. The geographic features, especially, give you a sense of your own place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/things-were-here-before-you-and-will-be-here-after-you-re-gone-the/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I do believe in God. I think God has given so much power to people, and intelligence, and said, 'Well, you are on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-in-god-i-think-god-has-given-so-much-power-to-people-and/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [The goofiness of radicals thinking they have to dress in Guatemalan peasant clothes. The poor don't want you to look like them. They want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/the-goofiness-of-radicals-thinking-they-have-to-dress-in-guatemalan/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [That's when I feel most alive, he told me once on an airplane, when I'm helping people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/that-s-when-i-feel-most-alive-he-told-me-once-on-an-airplane-when-i-m/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [...Attempts at imitation would put the emphasis where it didn't belong. The goal was to improve the lives of others, not oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/attempts-at-imitation-would-put-the-emphasis-where-it-didn-t-belong/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“Nothing every happens unless you push it. Ed Rasala. 111”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/nothing-every-happens-unless-you-push-it-ed-rasala-111/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Curing yourself of obsessive compulsive disorder by going to a strip club is pretty strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/curing-yourself-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-by-going-to-a-strip/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) [Explore all 77 Tracy Kidder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## More Easy quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [I don't want easy success. It's boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudeep/i-don-t-want-easy-success-it-s-boring/) [Sudeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudeep/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [People think that the Club World Cup is an easy competition, but it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keylor-navas/people-think-that-the-club-world-cup-is-an-easy-competition-but-it-s/) [Keylor Navas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keylor-navas/) > [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Sometimes life can suck and not be fair ,but we have to deal with it,because we feel we cant do anything but,we can.We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-can-suck-and-not-be-fair-but-we-have-to-deal-with-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [I don't know why, but I'm an easy target. And I don't do anything to dispel it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-mcginley/i-don-t-know-why-but-i-m-an-easy-target-and-i-don-t-do-anything-to/) [Ted McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-mcginley/) > [I know that I'm going to have to work hard, keep working hard, and not because of this victory think, "I'm back." I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-clijsters/i-know-that-i-m-going-to-have-to-work-hard-keep-working-hard-and-not/) [Kim Clijsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-clijsters/) > [It's easy to make mistakes. It's living with the consequences of them that's the hardest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/it-s-easy-to-make-mistakes-it-s-living-with-the-consequences-of-them/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) [Browse all 14,306 Easy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being a professional writer is not an easy way to make a living.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tracy Kidder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-easy-way-to-make-a-living/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Easy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-easy-way-to-make-a-living/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/tracy-kidder-8859_easy_being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-ea_1133602.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/tracy-kidder-8859_easy_being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-ea_1133602.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/tracy-kidder-8859_easy_being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-ea_1133602.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a professional writer is not an easy way to make a living.” — Tracy Kidder", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tracy Kidder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being a professional writer is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-easy-way-to-make-a-living/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/being-a-professional-writer-is-not-an-easy-way-to-make-a-living/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```