> Throughout this period, Glass supported himself as a New York cabbie and as a plumber, occupations that often led to unusual encounters. "I had gone to install a dishwasher in a loft in SoHo," he says. "While working, I suddenly heard a noise and looked up to find Robert Hughes, the art critic of Time magazine, staring at me in disbelief. 'But you're Philip Glass! What are you doing here?' It was obvious that I was installing his dishwasher and I told him I would soon be finished. 'But you are an artist,' he protested. I explained that I was an artist but that I was sometimes a plumber as well and that he should go away and let me finish."
Cormac McCarthy appears to be an exceptional case in this respect. I skimmed through a book about it once. Early on he basically earned his keep through grants and book sales. I think he persuaded one of his old ladies to get a job while he wrote. And apparently he was always writing; pitching one book in the middle of working on another. I guess film and television soon followed.
Doesn't sound exceptional to me. Most of the authors I have some personal knowledge of manage through exactly that: spouses, grants, book sales, residencies and teaching creative writing.
Compared to the postal workers, accountants and insurance agents named in this article they can count as exceptions too, save for the creative writing teachers.
I think Don DeLillo quit his job before his first book and never looked back.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/nov/24/arts.highe...
https://images2.imgbox.com/cc/f9/gX6o2Jfu_o.png
Must be very conducive to reading
Perhaps you would like the archived page instead if you don't have an adblocker, though I recommend installing one.
https://archive.ph/WeRN4
If one day it becomes possible to host a website for free, it would also be reasonable to complain about ads on it.
I think Don DeLillo quit his job before his first book and never looked back.