Living the dream?

Have you ever dreamt of giving up work to ‘go pro’ as a writer? A lot of us have been there, but having the confidence or the opportunity to quit your day job and work on your writing full-time is a big decision. Susie Kearley caught up with three writers who’ve taken the plunge.

KARL DRINKWATER is an independent multi-genre author. Five years ago he quit his information science career to write full-time.

‘I was working as a university librarian and teacher, writing in my spare time,’ he says. ‘I gradually cut my full-time hours down to half-time, so I could spend more time writing.’ Karl had such positive feedback on his stories that after a few years, he decided to leave his job to become a full-time writer.

Did it feel risky? ‘Less than it could have been,’ says Karl. ‘I planned ahead. I combined a small voluntary severance package with my savings, working out how much money I could survive on a month. I knew how long I could support myself for, even if I didn’t make much