Quote: David Bussell @ November 20 2008, 12:58 PM GMTWell, including all the admin that goes into putting productions together, including shoot times, probably 30-40 hours a week.
So basically you have no free time 
How many of you have full time/part time jobs? Page 2
Quote: Mike Dan-Carter @ November 20 2008, 1:00 PM GMTSo basically you have no free time
Sleep time is free time. Which is 4 a night.
I did earn a living from writing but not comedy.
Now I work full-time at home (24 hours a day, seven days a week) unpaid.
Anything I earn from comedy is a bonus.
You're best off with a job because it keeps you having new experiences and in touch with reality.
I work as a freelance architectural designer and try to build time into my week for writing so it doesn't eat into family stuff. I went 2 days per week in May due to the economic situation and this coincided, more or less, with a sitcom pilot I had going into development so I was able to work on that. That was my first writing pay cheque and I thing it's probably going to be a third of my total income this year. Which is more a reflection of how stagnant the housing industry (my area of specialty) is at the moment than my writing talent.
Having said that, I've picked up some design work this week, the first since August, and it's really put my NaNoWriMo out of kilter. Such is life I suppose.
Quote: chipolata @ November 20 2008, 1:06 PM GMTYou're best off with a job because it keeps you having new experiences and in touch with reality.
Yes, even if that reality largely involves people blathering on about John F**king Sergeant, etc.
Quote: Mike Dan-Carter @ November 20 2008, 1:00 PM GMTSo basically you have no free time
Well, I factor a lot of that writing time into my day job
mmmmmmmmmm work. Yes I work per say, however most recently I have decieded to retire young and simply have fun and I am working on a book with a co-author that we managed to get an advance from with a publisher. Go figure, I have written satire and such for years and finally some whacked up thing happens to a my friend and I and we both get to retire and sit on our butt's drinking too much, laughing and writing.
I'm self employed and work from home. My main income comes from my online businesses. (several websites)
I'm a freelance researcher/broadcast assistant/self-facilitating media node. As it's very competitive out there, on average I probably only work seven months a year, but thankfully I have a part time writing job that puts the fishfingers on the table in the less forgiving months. Like this one.
I run a small team that doesn't really exist for social services.
There's me and my henchwoman and occaisonal floaters.
For 1.5 day a week I get paid badly and for 2.5 days I get paid unreasonably well.
In the mean time I've earned a nice wedge from 118 118, and most months get 100-200 squids from NR/TS.
But that's mainly for fellating the News Revue cat.
Also if my useless producer sells it.
I'll get a 1000 Canadian dollars for my rubbish screenplay.
Can I recommend Waitrose for really good chunky fish fingers.
Quote: David Bussell @ November 20 2008, 1:15 PM GMTWell, I factor a lot of that writing time into my day job
What's you're job David?
Quote: Mike Dan-Carter @ November 20 2008, 1:33 PM GMTWhat's you're job David?
I'm a PA for an educational union. Luckily for me my boss doesn't work hard so I don't have to either.