About 20 years I ago I decided I’d have to figure out a way to turn writing into a full-time job.

And I did.

It took a while, and it wasn’t easy, but I managed. And I learnt a few things along the way.

Some of the things I learnt are related to the writing part, but most aren’t.

I learnt useful things, chief among which is the fact that being a good writer and being good at a writing job isn’t the same thing. It isn’t the same thing at all.

There are a few reasons for that.

The first is easy.

If you work for a company, you work for, or at the very least with, other people, which means you gotta play the corporate game, which is a very annoying and difficult game to play.

It also means that you’ve got deadlines and to-do lists and boxes to check.

There’s no creativity involved in any of those things.

It also means you’re going to have to write, even if you’re tired, even if you’re bored, even if you can’t think of a single word to write about that particular topic or thing.

You can’t afford a writer’s block.

So if you get one, you’d better go get some coffee or tea or coffee that’s so strong it’s called wine to get you going.

Whatever works. Whatever gets the job done. Well, as long as it’s legal, obviously.

The second thing people sometimes forget - or miss - is that if you write for an online publication - of any kind - is that your boss is not really your boss.

Your boss is the algorithm. Your boss is whichever algorithm decides whether what you wrote is picked up by socials and search engines and put in front of an audience.

But hey, I’m not complaining.

I like writing.

Beats working for a living.