Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always 1 such people, but I also explain that there's a big difference between "being a writer" and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of 2 and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. "You've got to want to write," I say to them, "not want to be a writer." The reality is that writing is a 3 , private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never 4 . When I left a 20-year career in the US Coast Guard to become a freelancewriter(自由撰稿人), I had no 5 at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn't even matter that it was 6 and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a 7 writer. After a year or so, however, I still hadn't gotten a break and began to 8 myself. It was so hard to sell a story that I 9 made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn't going to be one of those people who die wondering, what if? I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with 10 and fear of failure. This is the Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream learn to live there. A. barely B. genuine C. rewarded D. doubt E. lonely F. poverty G. persuade H. prospects I. uncertainty J. encourage K. wealth L. cold