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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

What's Your Lifetime Creative Earnings?

Today, because I'm a little bit anal and overly responsible, I'm pulling together my taxes, and realizing that in the year of our Lord 2013 my business writing earned enough income to sustain life (just barely), and my creative writing earned zero dollars and zero cents (zero sense). This is pretty much the same as it is every year, except for the occasional bonanza of a grant, fellowship, or lit prize with money attached, which due to the goodness of God falls in my lap once in a great while.
     If I had to tally my lifetime earnings for my creative writing over these few decades of my time here on earth, it would add up to about $44,000.00, and I'm counting a local library poetry prize from my long-ago youth. So that is an actual lifetime tally. The sad thing is, I am surprised by how much it is; not bad for a hack! By the way, has anybody seen that one 1099 from that company with the funny name? I can't find it all of sudden. How is it that papers can evaporate like that into thin air?  It's disturbing.
     Anyone else care to share their lifetime total earnings for creative writing? I don't tend to egg-on blog comments, but I thought that might be an interesting thread.

5 comments:

mercury rising said...

Mine is around $150-160k, which doesn't sound too bad except when you consider that it was over the course of 20-plus years.

Heynonnynonymous said...

Who are you people? I have received exactly this: a kick in the pants, pat on the head, some pocket lint, 2 gumballs, and a subway token for my creative efforts. $44K? $150K? Give me a break. You are doing damn well for yourselves.

Anonymous said...

$500--but I started late.

Heynonnynonymous said...

Are you guys talking about Dollars or Doll Hairs?

Anonymous said...

A pittance here and there.