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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Erik Mona" data-source="post: 2326250" data-attributes="member: 2174">On Thursday night I cancelled my weekly Age of Worms game because art director Sean Glenn and I are putting the finishing touches on the 416-page Shackled City Adventure Path book. I worked until 2:00 AM, went home, ate some dinner, and fell asleep editing at 4:00 AM. The next day, I got to work about 11:00 after sleeping in, and worked until about 7:00, at which point Mike McArtor and Mike Merals helped me liberate a free grill from a friend's porch. I took the Mikes out to dinner in lovely Ballard, marking the first social event longer than an hour in which I'd engaged in over a week.On Saturday, I woke up and did some editing, then went into work to enter changes and do some more editing on the Shackled City book. I stayed at work until 2:30, and went home to do some more editing before falling asleep in bed.On Sunday, I proofread three chapters of the Shackled City book before I left the house, played "Jade Empire" for about two hours, and then went out to a coffee shop where I proofed the final galleys for Dragon #334 until I got kicked out of one coffee shop (which closed at 9:00) and then another (which closed at 10:00). I contemplated going into the office to enter more changes on the Shackled City book, but instead just stayed at home and finished editing Dragon, finally going to sleep at about 3:30 in the morning.This morning, I woke up at 7:00 to come in early (we usually start around 10:00) to enter changes for Dragon and to do more work on the Shackled City book before anyone got here.I'd say that's a pretty accurate picture of my work and social life over the last three months or so, and more generally since I got involved in the industry, although it's fair to call this period a "heavy" work period.I also think one guy juggling 200 pages of magazines a month (albeit with a great staff) as well as a handful of freelance projects and a couple new product lines is unusual, so my example is probably atypical.There are times when I get to leave work at 6:00 and engage in social activities, but they are rare. I play in two weekly games. Monte Cook's game, on Monday, is sacrosanct. If I miss that game (which I probably do more than any other player), it's because of a serious work emergency.I'd say that the average number of "serious work emergencies" has decreased to fewer than one a month, but that hasn't always been the case.At my current work rate, I don't think I could sustain a serious relationship or raise a kid. I certainly wouldn't be able to raise a child on my salary, and I'm probably in the top 10% of salary earners in the non-management, non-company owner segment of the industry.I spend much more time in the office than I do at home. I can't have a pet, because it would surely die of neglect.Basically, my advice to would-be authors is that unless you are a workaholic with a stable relationship that can help to support you financially, the "industry" isn't really worthwhile as a full-time operation. It's a tiny little thing, and very few people are making any respectable money off it.That said, I still like my job, and wouldn't trade it for anything.Go figure. I think that's what's called "addiction."--Erik MonaEditor-in-ChiefDragon & Dungeon</blockquote>

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