Manga Oku no Hosomichi

A small apartment, a desk, a futon, no steady work. The protagonist takes part-time jobs, practices drawing, and gradually develops the skills that might one day get a manuscript accepted by a publisher. The first submissions get rejected. Walking around town sometimes produces the inspiration that sitting at the desk cannot. When a manuscript is finally accepted and serialized, the lifestyle shifts from grinding poverty to grinding deadlines — blood-spitting weekly output for a manga artist under contract. Sustained success eventually allows hiring assistants and the theoretical luxury of drawing what you actually want to draw.