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by Camela Thompson Today marks my first day back in the office since I started my long break. I remember when I took time off work, several people were excited and asked if I was going to write full time. Perhaps one day in the future I'll be able to retire from corporate life, but not now. Not yet. And maybe not for many, many years. I would be lying if I said I didn't struggle with it initially. When I started this break, I thought I would use the time to write a couple books. Maybe even three. Instead, I sat at my computer writing chapters, only to delete them. I focused on marketing in the second half of April and all of May. By all accounts, the launch was solid--a definite improvement over the first. It gave me hope that this author platform thing will continue to get easier as time goes on. I jumped into an ongoing marketing strategy. I started a podcast. I spent a ton of time with my dog and husband. I had time to write and interact with my family. I even had energy to do things on the evenings and weekends. I did write a book. It wasn't the book I expected to write, but I was thrilled it happened.
I may have struggled with writing, but I learned some things about myself. I accepted that I can't continue to work full time and be an author without help. I'm lucky that my career by day is lucrative. My career by night--writing--is not. Yet. Having a dual income means we are lucky enough to have someone come in and help clean so I don't have to spend time on it on the weekends. We have a dog walker come every day so I don't worry about our pup. I need to look for help marketing. I made the choice to take a challenging job (that I fortunately enjoy) rather than work part time and attempt to live with a little extra from writing jobs. That would have meant learning how to churn out articles, spending more time cleaning, fixing stuff around the house, and finding ways to save money and live in a really expensive city. It's doable. It just wasn't the route I decided to take.
I enjoy the challenge of my day job, and spend most of that time analyzing trends and pulling together numbers. I listen to business issues and work hard to find solutions. It keeps my brain whirring. For some reason, I do a better job of writing when I'm working. My husband's theory is that I need to use the analytical side of my brain for the creative side to flourish. I think it has more to do with having incentive to spend precious spare time wisely on a hobby I enjoy. Less time is dedicated to the wormhole that is the Internet and more time is spent typing. I'm more willing to push through writing walls and persist rather than wait for a muse to strike. My weeks just got busier, but it doesn't mean I'll stop writing. The book output may be lower than it would have been otherwise, but I'm not so sure about that anymore. I've accepted that I may only be able to kick one book out a year, but I'm going to take the time to make that book as good as I can get it. Both working and writing means sacrifices. In the coming months, I know to look at the things that get put aside and make sure the right sacrifices are made. Have you had to make sacrifices for your passion?
6 Comments
7/27/2015 12:35:16 am
I got burned out with my corporate life a few years ago, and decided to do some freelance writing/editing (facilitated by a supportive wife, with a good job of her own). What I ultimately found was that I'm not a freelance guy - I'm not passionate enough about it to make it work. I also found that if I have all the time in the world, I write... a little bit more. I'm better off with a full-time job, writing and blogging in my spare time. The trick I think is organizing your life in such a way that it works, and you can be okay with it. Enjoy your return (I'm kind of looking forward to mine - and, yes, making some $$$ again)! 7/29/2015 03:32:04 am
Every writer has to find her own way. I quit my full-time job at a daily newspaper in 2002 and have freelanced as a writer and editor since. I seemed to be more organized at home when I spent most of my daylight hours at an office. I enjoyed my job, too. But I would not go back. I enjoy being mistress of my own time clock. The last sentence of your piece above is most important. 7/29/2015 03:38:26 am
I completely understand! I was so gung-ho to be a novelist that I quit my screenwriter career... and spent a lot of time writing crap that never saw the light of day. Eventually I went back to screenwriting part time, but it's a hard industry to manage like that. It's either all (60 hours a week and no time for anything else) or nothing (and panicking trying to get the next gig). Half a decade later, I'm still trying to find a balance, and am currently looking for more predictable part time jobs.
Camela Thompson
8/1/2015 04:01:40 am
I've always wondered about screen writing and appreciate your honest peek into the reality of it. I have wondered if it would be better to be in an adjacent field, but maybe the break is better? Time will tell ☺️
Camela Thompson
8/1/2015 04:04:40 am
I started out as a freelance artist and didn't have the discipline needed to do well even back then. I didn't like sticking my neck out for new assignments and hated rejection. For some reason, it's easier for me to do infrequently with novels than it is to work as a freelance writer. I am optimistic I can find a balance, but time will tell. I admire your self discipline! 8/13/2015 12:10:28 pm
Interesting piece, thank you. I've recently concluded that while it might be right for others, mixing part-time paid work with "more time" for writing fits me less well than full-time work that pays the bills paired with writing early mornings before the day begins. The only time the latter seemed untenable was during launch of a new book, which as you note creates its own demands. That said, my dream remains becoming a full-time writer with enough meaningful work and income from that alone. Unlikely, particularly since I'm single, no second income. Still, your post gives me hope that some dreams should remain just that, while real life keeps us plugging along. Leave a Reply. |
Camela ThompsonFreelance writer and Dark urban fantasy author featuring vampires with bite. My BooksCategories
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