a small rant, and a social experiment
Feb. 12th, 2008 10:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lauraanne_gilmanY'know, I wasn't going to comment on John Scalzi's financial advice for writers, because everyone else has already weighed in (and I've made a few comments in those other places). But I see so much ink on the "don't live in NYC" bit that seems to me people are missing the point.
Yes, NYC is expensive. So's Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. A city is more expensive to live in than a small town, as a rule. I would never ever advise a would-be writer to move to a city simply to get a job (unless you're looking to work in-office at a specific magazine or newspaper, but that's a different question).
However. Some of us are country mice. We like being away from people, having lots and lots of elbow room, midnight quiet, and small town familarity. Some of us enjoy the suburbs, with the availability of malls, highways, and access-but-not-in a city life. And some of us are city mice, who think better with the white noise of traffic outside our windows, and the midnight access to a 24-hour diner on the corner.
If you're a country mouse living in the city, you'll be miserable even if you have the money to live there. If you're a city mouse in the country, saving hundreds of dollars a month won't make you work any better. Know yourself, as well as your budget. That's far better advice than saying "don't live somewhere expensive."
/rant.
On a more amusing front, a suggestion: have fun with social expectations on the 14th. Get a friend of the same gender and go out for a fancy Valentine's Day dinner.
(if your preference is for the same gender, live dangerously and find a friend of the opposite gender!)
Extra points if you smooch publicly.
Still working on a revisions letter. This afternoon I get to work on my own revisions letter. And taxes. Every part of my brain is being exercised today. I suppse I should do something with the body, too...
Me? I'm going to make some home-made chocolate kisses. Mmmm.
Yes, NYC is expensive. So's Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. A city is more expensive to live in than a small town, as a rule. I would never ever advise a would-be writer to move to a city simply to get a job (unless you're looking to work in-office at a specific magazine or newspaper, but that's a different question).
However. Some of us are country mice. We like being away from people, having lots and lots of elbow room, midnight quiet, and small town familarity. Some of us enjoy the suburbs, with the availability of malls, highways, and access-but-not-in a city life. And some of us are city mice, who think better with the white noise of traffic outside our windows, and the midnight access to a 24-hour diner on the corner.
If you're a country mouse living in the city, you'll be miserable even if you have the money to live there. If you're a city mouse in the country, saving hundreds of dollars a month won't make you work any better. Know yourself, as well as your budget. That's far better advice than saying "don't live somewhere expensive."
/rant.
On a more amusing front, a suggestion: have fun with social expectations on the 14th. Get a friend of the same gender and go out for a fancy Valentine's Day dinner.
(if your preference is for the same gender, live dangerously and find a friend of the opposite gender!)
Extra points if you smooch publicly.
Still working on a revisions letter. This afternoon I get to work on my own revisions letter. And taxes. Every part of my brain is being exercised today. I suppse I should do something with the body, too...
Me? I'm going to make some home-made chocolate kisses. Mmmm.
