www.inkthinkerblog.com — I doubt anyone will argue with me when I say that this update is long overdue. Suffice it to say, it’s been a hectic couple of months. Here’s the Reader’s Digest version.
November turned out to be a bad month for me in terms of writing. There was illness, there was travel, and there was — drumroll please — a new job. (More on that in a moment.) At the end of the month, I finished with about 15,000 words. Some of it totally sucks, but in the process of plowing through I really impressed myself. I have a totally viable story idea and it’s something I’m actually interested in writing and reading. So this marks the beginning of something I’m really excited about and have wanted to do since I was a kid: actually writing a YA novel.
I’m doing okay on the morning pages plan, though not as well as I had optimistically set out. Which is okay with me. Having it there and being able to savor it when I can allow myself to steal a few moments alone with the pen is a gift, and I am enjoying it thoroughly. Except for the self-reflection part, which sadly comes with negative realizations as well as positive and neutral ones. But I’m finding that I feel more connected to myself when I have the opportunity to reflect on both strengths and weaknesses and how I react to things, and that’s definitely a growth opportunity that I’m gaining from in a large way.
Now, about the new job: A client I’ve been working with for nearly 2 years needed to bring on another full-time writer, and they wooed me sufficiently that I accepted. Briefly, I’m doing the same thing for them that I was before I joined the staff: working 100% from home on proposals and contract deliverables. The only difference is that now it’s 32 hours a week and I get benefits including health insurance and paid time off. So, there’s still time for freelance work but I also get this crazy thing called a regular paycheck.
The transition period has been a little rocky, primarily because my employer-provided computer is [[insert dramatic music here]] a PC and I hate it. It’s also been an ongoing process to balance my job requirements with the select freelance projects I choose to take on and the rest of my life. But as we have discussed before, balance isn’t just something that happens one time and it’s done; no, balance is a continuous event, something that you do daily or even hourly, and it’s never perfect. That’s what makes it fun, and a valuable pursuit.
So, that’s where I am at the moment. What changes have happened in YOUR life recently?
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You cannot beat a steady income for security and peace of mind.
I can never set myself tasks that involve writing a certain amount of words per day. Inevitably all attempts, thus far, have ended in failure.
.-= Joseph Condron´s last blog ..About Ennio Morricone: The Greatest Composer The World Has Ever Known =-.
Such an enjoyable read, and fantastic comments
I would like the steady income of a paycheck but I would not like the idea of punching a clock for 32 hours a week. Some weeks I have more work and some weeks I have less. I think writing would be the same. Some weeks you are motivated and excited about something and other weeks maybe not so much. Every week is different.
Happily, I have the best of both worlds with a set schedule that I can rearrange if I need to, and plenty of time left for other projects like my work for the resume company and the blogging webinar I’m teaching on Monday nights through March 1.
Congrats on your new job and the YA novel writing, Sounds like you’re on a new journey that excites you, even if there are some minor challenges.
As to your question, I haven’t had major work changes in the past year. But then, that’s because I mostly look for long-term contract work, so i can have financial security in addition to the flexibility of freelance writing. I find that I’m more focussed and productive when I’m not worried about where my next pay cheque is coming from:-)
.-= Damaria´s last blog ..Female2Female Photo Blog Challenge: My Yellow Garden: =-.
Thanks, Damaria! Nice to hear from you. :)
it would have been a fun job. you find you’re calling, it is always nice to do a job that you use to enjoy.
– Jack Leak