Daily Inspiration: Meet Leslie Hinson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Hinson.

Hi Leslie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I tried just about every career path imaginable before finally deciding to move on the path of least resistance, which was to become a professional writer. Now, that path certainly has a lot of resistance, but for me, it was worth it. The writing was by far my easiest subject in school, and for that reason, I overlooked it.

I always knew I was going to have a non-traditional career, but I was interested in so many things that I found it impossible to specialize. I honestly felt that I would need multiple lifetimes to do everything I wanted.

In 2014, I got some friends together to start a writing group. It was basically an offshoot of our book club. Later, we named it The Paper State Writing Club. The point was to provide writing accountability rather than serious critique, with the understanding that with practice, you will get better.

I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I was churning out a poem or short story every month. After several months, I looked at the “Creative Writing” folder on my computer and felt a sense of pride in the number of documents I’d amassed. Eight years later, The Paper State Writing Club still meets monthly.

I spent my twenties trying to build careers in piano tuning, yoga, and working with horses while working at restaurants to supplement my income. I was good at all of those things, but the fatal flaw in my plan is that I am terrible at marketing myself. In 2015, I decided I would go back to school to become an Occupational Therapist. I had to take six undergraduate science and math courses to apply to a program.

I enjoyed the classes, but I had the sense that I was going in the wrong direction. One evening while studying for finals, on a whim I looked up the requirements for a few MFA programs in the region. Before long, there were tears streaming down my face. I already had all the requirements, and I felt in my body that this was the right direction for me.

I gave myself a deadline. In one year, if I hadn’t either found a job in writing, publishing or gotten into an MFA program, I would go back to the Occupational Therapy prerequisite coursework.

It happened. I was able to find an entry-level job in publishing before my one-year deadline. Over the next six years, I would launch my editing business, get accepted to an MFA program, and land a job as a ghostwriter for a fantastic nonfiction publisher. My work as a ghostwriter has been amazing.

That part of me that couldn’t decide what to do for a living because I had too many interests is completely satisfied. I get to listen to the words of experts and turn their knowledge into books. The company I work for brings authors to me, so I don’t have to market myself. I’m constantly learning and getting exposed to a variety of fascinating subjects. It’s awesome!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No! It has not been a smooth road. Next to my “Creative Writing” folder is a folder of 40+ cover letters that never got a response. Up until six months ago, I regularly worked four to five odd jobs at a time in retail, restaurants, cleaning AirBnbs, nannying, and doing everything I could to scrape together a decent income.

In addition to my freelance writing, I still run a part-time piano school where I teach 20 students per week, and I also teach French for an online company. I have to say, I’m never bored! People often glamorize my work as a “Renaissance Woman.”

I do appreciate the variety… but it sure seems nice to deal with one W-2 at the end of the year and have PTO, decent health insurance, or a 401k. (Or a weekend… weekends are the time I get to catch up on work!) But it is a trade I’ve made intentionally. I’m happy with the variety, and because I’m not going to have children, I’m only responsible for myself and my three cats.

It was incredibly hard to find a writing job that actually paid a living wage. I waded through so many job postings that didn’t include wages or offered wages that amounted to less than $8/hr. The ones that did pay a commensurate rate for the job would quickly get 500+ applications.

All the while, I was trying to find time to do my own creative writing. Every writer has their own method of sneaking in time to write their own projects. For a while, the challenge for me was that I was always doing some other job away from my computer. Now the problem is that I’m on my computer 10 hours per day, and the last thing I want to do is open another Google Doc!

Somehow I’ve been able to write a novel and pieces of other novels, as well as short stories and research papers for my MFA coursework.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m not sure I am known for anything! For me, that’s a big allure of being a ghostwriter. I’m not very interested in the spotlight.

The thing I’m the proudest of is absolutely a joint effort that says more about the author than about me. When I first started my editing business, I approached a friend on Instagram about letting me edit his novel. I charged him as little as I could and was very forthright about the fact that I was brand new, but needed the practice. He in turn recommended me to his friend, and I edited two of her novels, and she quickly landed an agent.

She recommended me to a friend of hers, and I edited his novel, and he got an agent! So right out of the gate, I had a 2/3 success rate for my clients getting agents, which was pretty incredible. As I said, it is more about their talent than mine, but at the same time, I do think that I steered them in the right direction to improve their manuscripts enough to keep an agent interested.

It also felt evident that I was moving in the right direction on my career path.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Despite it being an uphill battle to maintain a career in art, people lean on artists in hard times.

How many shows did you binge-watch over the first few months of the pandemic? Without the writers, actors, costume designers, directors, composers, songwriters, technical staff, etc., and all the people who served as their inspiration to go into an artistic field, there would be no show.

If you’re an artist and you catch yourself regretting your decision because it isn’t currently making a lot of money, remember how much people actually value what you have to offer, even society makes you feel disposable and people talk about your choices like they were foolish. There is no shame in working other jobs to pay your bills until your art can support you. And it won’t support you until it can.

Everyone I know who makes a decent living as an artist had to get to a certain level before that was possible, and that takes time. Keep working at your craft, make genuine connections, and before you know it, your skills and talent will be undeniable. If Covid taught us anything, it was that even a stable 9-5 job can be pulled out from underneath you at any moment.

There are certainly drawbacks to your own creations being your job, but there are advantages too!

Pricing:

• Writing and editing $60/hr

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lesliehinsonediting.com

Image Credits
Natia Cinco