The Years that Ask Questions

Whether you’re in a year that asks or a year that answers, keep writing and trusting in the timing of your story.

Illustration by Monica Ahanonu

One of my favourite quotes about time is from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, which I read years ago:

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”

The plot of the book is bleak in my mind, but not this quote. I started thinking about it yesterday when I came across this tweet about creative writers who take on full-time roles [in tech] to pay the bills. People like me. My theory is not groundbreaking. Most of us will have to dig our heels into full-time employment or freelance work just to create space and time to write now or in the future. Survival comes at a cost. Some of us will never return to it, and dreams of becoming the next Chinua Achebe or of writing books that rival Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be nothing more than dreams.

If you’re worried about either reality or the feeling that others are moving, landing book deals, snagging prizes while you’re stuck in the hamster wheel of capitalism, remember Zora Neale Hurston’s quote. These are the years where you need to put in the work — these are the years that ask. And there are years that answer them — years where the fruits of your labour finally bloom. This cycle of questioning and answering is a natural part of the creative journey. The road to fulfilling our aspirations is often paved with ‘practical necessities’. It's a path many have walked before us, a path where the balance between survival and the pursuit of our passion is a daily negotiation.

For a guide on how to balance both, check out my capitalism guide for creators here. 

Famous writers and their day jobs

Lots of famous authors worked day jobs while writing or before they became famous. J.K. Rowling apparently taught English as a foreign language in Portugal and worked as a bilingual secretary and researcher at Amnesty International’s London offices. Toni Morrison, a personal fave, worked as an editor for years and didn’t publish her novel until she was 39. She’s my inspiration for ‘it’s never too late or too early’. Bonnie Garmus, whose debut Lessons in Chemistry (now an Apple TV series) was published in 2022 had wanted to be an author since she was five. At 60+, this means it took over five decades for that to become a reality. Her career pre-writing was as a copywriter and creative director focused on clients in technology, medicine, and education. Chinua Achebe himself was a teacher and publisher. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t work in tech. He didn’t always write full-time.

Use your profession to fuel your creativity

The wonderful thing about having a speciality outside of your writing is the inspiration it can give you. Haruki Murakami ran a jazz club and didn’t start writing until he was 29. His love for music heavily inspires the themes in his work and the melodic effect of his writing. John Grisham’s entire career as a novelist is predicated on being a lawyer (look, I’m slightly jealous of John Grisham. I started reading his work at 10 and was so sure I’d become a lawyer who writes, but look at me now. I’m a lawyer who writes but also not really 😅)

“I seriously doubt I would ever have written the first story had I not been a lawyer. I never dreamed of being a writer. I wrote only after witnessing a trial.”

John Grisham

Agatha Christie worked for two years as a nurse in the local hospital during World War I. She later went to work in the hospital dispensary and studied for her Apothecaries Hall examination where she learned about drugs and poisons. Her extensive knowledge of poisons influenced her work; she often used poison to kill off characters. In total, there are about 83 poisonings in her books.

Am I a ‘real writer’ if I don’t write full-time?

Asking whether you’re a 'real writer' while juggling other responsibilities is understandable. You might feel guilt, shame or annoyance. But you’re always a writer, even when you’re not writing. You might not always sit in front of your computer to write, but you’re writing when you observe the world, interact with people, immerse yourself in the work you do (even if it’s content writing), when you read books and when you think. Writing is thinking. 

Importantly, a 'real writer' is not defined by a full-time writing career, publishing stories, securing book deals or getting an agent. Anyone committed to the act of writing is a ‘real writer’.

The seasons of our lives ebb and flow between periods of questioning and answering. The prophet in Ecclesiastes says it beautifully:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…”

In the meantime, commit — as you can — to doing the groundwork of cultivating your craft. Intentionally soak up experiences that will inspire your writing and document like your life depends on it. It’ll all pay off — hopefully. Don’t look down on your craft because you’re working a corporate job that gives you money to buy nice things writing could never or because others are living your writing dream. Whether you’re in a year that asks or a year that answers, keep writing and trusting in the timing of your story.

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Since 2024 started, I’ve committed to writing monthly (as you may have noticed). But because I’m delivering the third issue of the year late in the month, you can expect a second issue — a follow up to this edition — before the month ends. 

As always, errors in this letter are the work of an exhausted writer slaving under the rules of capitalism. (In case you missed it, errors are mine alone!) Got questions for me about the science and art of writing, writing operations, editing, writing career, media and any related topics? Leave a question for me here.