The dreaded words no spouse/girlfriend/parent wants to hear: “I’m quitting my job to write a novel.”

In India, I’d never met anyone who had actually quit his or her job before becoming a successful novelist. I certainly had never met someone who had quit specifically to write a novel. In America, I’ve met a few people who have toyed with the idea. And now someone I know and her husband are at odds with each other: he’s quitting his job to write a novel, and she’s stuck with the job of making money to support the kids.

It’s a tough situation with no real answers. You may argue on the side of practicality or you may argue on the side of art, but no matter which side you’re on, you’ll agree: writing a novel is tougher than it looks from the outside. And quitting your job to write one can go either way. You could be super successful, or you could be writing for years before making that coveted sale.

But I’m a freelancer. I once quit my job to pursue my dream of writing. I didn’t listen to a single naysayer about how hard it would be or what I would need to do in order to survive. But I also had existing clients. I had an existing part-time freelancing career that I converted to full-time. And I had some sort of security blanket. If the freelance journalism career didn’t work out, I hadn’t yet depleted my resources. I was also young and stupid with no real responsibilities, say kids.

I am a big believer in the notion that when you throw yourself into it is the time you’ll survive. I know that no finances makes you desperate enough to push a little harder, send just one more query letter, try just one last time. I know that it’s pretty ridiculous, given the world we live in, to say “Have a year’s worth of savings before you quit your job.” Really, with the number of people I know who’re paying off student loans or stuck in credit card debt, the idea of saving a year’s worth of money is preposterous. So should you give up your dreams?

Absolutely not. Just be a little sensible about it, will ya? I’ve heard advice from both sides of the fence. Here’s what I have to say.

1. Start working on your freelance work/novel-writing on the side. When I told my boyfriend that I wanted to write a novel, his first reaction was, “Do it in your spare time.” We both understood that there was no way I could continue to survive if I quit working on my journalism. We also understood that if I wanted it bad enough, work, school, and a full schedule would not hold me back. They never do. If you want it bad enough, you find time for it. Do it while you’re working. See if you’re any good or even if you enjoy it before you give up everything to chase that dream.

2. It’s hard work. Let me say that again. It’s hard. And it’s work. The words don’t always flow, the bills don’t always get paid, clients don’t pay up unless they’re sent seventeen follow-up e-mails, and you always wonder how every other freelancer can afford expensive Starbucks coffee, while you’re still drinking home-made tea. The whole idea of sitting in your pajamas waiting for the muse to arrive, while romantic isn’t true. You’ll be sitting in your pajamas, but that’s pretty much it. And it doesn’t seem very romantic when it’s the same pair of pajamas for a week and your boyfriend hints that maybe it’s time you bought a new pair. Or maybe washed this one.

3. Save up what you can. I’ve seen lots of random numbers thrown around from six months to a year to whatnot, and I can’t in all honesty, support that. Not only because I never had that kind of backup and managed fine without it (maybe even prospered because of the pressure), but also because I know that if I wanted to write a novel today, I wouldn’t be saving up a year’s worth of money to write it. I’d just quit and get started right away. I’m just not that organized a personality type to sit through six months of a painful job to get to where I want. I’d personally just risk it and see where it took me.

4.  Trust your instincts. What works for one person doesn’t for the next. Look at your life situation, your personality, your relationships and responsibilities and make the decision. There are several ways to make a freelance career or write a novel. Find what works for you.