Don't do journalism. You may need to sell your soul to make a living and if you do that, then you won't have any creativity and energy left for things that you are passionate about.

The better bet, in my book, is this:
1. Research undergraduate writing programs carefully.
2. Choose one that you can get into, and do well in it, even if it isn't always fun.
3. Work on your portfolio very, very hard while you are in school.
4. Get an MFA in Creative Writing (University of Iowa is excellent; I am sure there are plenty of others too)
5. Try to get a job as a teacher or professor (obviously a prestigious one would be nice, but you can also teach community college or high school - the whole idea is to get a job that allows you to think about your writing all day at get paid for it)
6. Write, write, write and try to publish - either thru a commercial publisher or on your own ("self-publishing").

I wish I had gone that route instead of trying to get a "day job" and "write on the side". It is so hard to save up your passion for writing all day while you are getting shit on at some mundane job you hate. My advice is to get a job that rewards independent thinking.