I wanted to be a writer from as early as I can remember.
Sure, I also wanted to - at different times - be an astronaut, policeman, trucker, Olympic archer, and of course, Batman. But writing, and telling stories, was just always something I knew was in my future. When I found out Franklin W. Dixon was only a collective pseudonym used by many writers to pen The Hardy Boys novels (my favourite books at the time), I borrowed my sister's typewriter so I could try my hand at my own Hardy Boys Mystery. I spent the better part of a summer writing a book nobody would ever see but I was hooked.
I studied journalism, because quite frankly, I knew I wasn't going to make any easy money writing bad Hardy Boys knockoffs, plus I really enjoyed reading newspapers, All The President's Men and the notion of truth. After years studying the craft under old-school professionals in university and doing internships at a couple local papers, I began what has so far been a pretty rewarding career as a writer, both for newspapers and marketing/advertising endeavours.
But, knowing what I know now I probably should have become a barista, or maybe the guy who cleans up after the elephants at the circus.
I knew going into the business that most writers don't make anything close to resembling a "schwack of cash." But I'm pretty sure I've not been in it for the money anyway. Writing is like an itch, and if you're one of those so inflicted, then it doesn't matter how you get your relief.
And the news business has changed, and not for the better, unfortunately.
Thanks to the Internet and the blogosphere, anyone who can string a few words together and has an opinion is now a reporter and damned with objectivity, ethics or even newspaper style. Papers are closing left, right and centre too, with the Vancouver Sun and Province having just announced a ton of upcoming layoffs because the business is no longer "sustainable."
At the office someone posted a list of 200 jobs arranged in order of desirability. Reporter/writer ranked 200th dead last. Pest control was No. 54. So, according to this 2013 list, it's four times more desirable to squish bugs than to be a journalist.
But, despite all that, you'll still find diehard hacks working our craft and trying to tell the stories that matter to communities until they come and take our keyboards and venue away. We've got to scratch that itch, and squishing bugs just won't do it.
I would, however, still consider that Batman job if it ever did come up.
