Here's my take on writing for a living.

I always told my kids, you only get paid to do things that someone either cannot or will not do and you pay to do things that are fun and you get paid to do things that are not.

Most folks learn to write in the second grade so most can and many will. Some get paid to write the fun stuff, but most get paid for journalistic writing or technical writing and the other types that are all work and no play.

What money I have actually made from writing came from doing what no one wants to do--writing government proposals and business plans. Yuk.
I still do some press releases which are all work and no play and sometimes that pays a little, but it's no fun.

I've made a few thousand from doing what I love--writing musicals. And I have made a few hundred from writing stories and articles. But unless a musical becomes a Broadway hit or I somehow publish a best seller, I'm not sure writing for a living is a viable option.

However, like most writers, I continue to write and hope only because I must.

smile