In this excerpt from her book, Look Ma, No Hands, Gabrielle Drolet explains the many different facets of her writing career. The world of a freelancer can be a precarious one. Scared to turn down any work, Drolet collects several bizarre writing gigs, offering an insight into the incredible flexibility required to call yourself a professional writer.
As I’d gotten closer to finishing my undergrad, I kept getting asked what came next. For years, the question “What are you going to do when you grow up?” had been answered the same way: I’m going to be a writer. This was an answer that adults found cute when I was a child and concerning as I got older. A writer, they echoed, mulling the word over slowly. Interesting. By the time I got to university, it was an answer that felt downright unacceptable. Sharing dreams about writing for a living elicited looks of mingled confusion and pity. A writer?
I understood that being a writer was fraught. I understood that it was a hard way to make a living. There were no jobs in the industry, and books didn’t sell for as much as they used to. And so the question of what I wanted to do after graduating was one that made me physically sick, because I didn’t know what being a writer meant either.
More picks about work
Welcome Back to the Office. You Won’t Get Anything Done
“Return to office mandates aren’t about output. They’re about asserting control.”
The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers
“WIRED spoke with more than 200 federal workers in dozens of agencies to learn what happened as the Department of Government Efficiency tore through their offices.”
The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman
“He thought he’d make millions of dollars selling solar panels door-to-door. The reality was much darker.”
Smells Like American Spirit
“In my life, I’ve witnessed three elite salespeople at work. You won’t like their secret.”
The Contingency Contingent
“My fake job in Y2K preparedness.”
