I’ve been writing novels for about eleven years, and if I had to go back and change anything, I wish I would’ve started sooner. I first started writing as a kid, mostly short stories and poems, but I stopped when I got to college and started studying graphic design. Every time I read about a person in their 20s who’s already written half a dozen novels I kick myself for giving up on my passion.

When I was applying to college, I thought that my only career options as a writer were to be a journalist or an English teacher, and while English teachers are very important, that’s not what I wanted to do. I did take a journalism class my freshman year and that’s when I discovered I hate interviewing people — at least when you’re pressing them for information they don’t want to give up — so I threw myself into design.

During my 20s, I had an urge to write a novel and even got so far as outlining an idea, but it wasn’t until I moved to Mexico with my ex-husband and I couldn’t work that I started writing again. I wrote my first full-length manuscript (a memoir that will stay forever locked in my computer) at age 32, and my first novel a year later. To date, I’ve written eight novels, and I have concrete ideas for the next two.

Now, when I speak to aspiring writers, I emphasize how many options are out there if you want to write for a living because I wish I’d had someone tell me that. It may not be easy and it’s unlikely you’ll ever make a ton of money, but it is possible to do it.

I feel very fortunate to have a day job where I get to be both a designer and a writer (I’m the Director of Marketing & Communications for a non-profit). People often ask when I’ll be able to quit to write full-time, and honestly, it may never happen. But I’m happy with the balance I have and am glad I’ve found my way back to writing.

This post originally appeared on Rockin’ Book Reviews.