A Chronicle Of Early Failure I

“Becoming a writer is not a “career decision” like becoming a doctor or a policeman: you don't chose it so much as you get chosen, and once you accept the fact that you're not fit for anything else, you have to be prepared to walk a long, hard road for the rest of your days. Unless you turn out to be a favorite of the gods (and woe to the man who banks on that), your work will never bring in enough to support you, and if you mean to have a roof over your head and not starve to death you must resign yourself to doing other work to pay the bills” (Auster, 1998: 4).

AUSTER, Paul (1998). Hand To Mouth. A Chronicle Of Early Failure. London: Faber And Faber.