Recently, I’ve taken to introducing myself as a writer. Occasionally, I receive a response along the lines of: “But aren’t you the person teaching the TensorFlow class?” or “But didn’t I see you in that CS class?” and I was always confused: “Why should being a writer stop me from being interested in CS?”

This morning, I went for brunch with a bunch of people I didn’t know. A man in his fifties, after hearing that I’m a writer, asked: “How are you supporting yourself financially?” When somebody says that they are a doctor or a teacher, nobody asks how they are supporting themselves. But when you’re a writer, everyone suddenly has the right to question your finance. This man, without knowing anything about my writing, immediately assumed that I wouldn’t get paid for it.

There are a million things I could have said to this man. But it was a beautiful Saturday morning and I was enjoying my food, so I told him that my sugar daddy had been very supportive. Before I left, he gave me his business card and asked me to call him if I’d like to grab a coffee.