Rebooting
They say do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life. In December of 2013, after 26 years of working for 'the man,' I quit my job and became a full time writer. I was finally going to do what I love.
That proverb? Total BS. I've never worked harder than I have these last 4 years. And I've got a lot to show for it. I've accomplished everything I set out to do and more. And I'm looking forward to continuing to set the bar higher and higher just so that I can set new records for myself and succeed at accomplishing new goals.
But I'm not going to be doing this full time anymore. This week, just a little over 4 years to the day since I left, I'm returning to the working world. To be honest, it's something I've been considering for a long time now. You see, even hermits like myself need social interaction every now and then. Also if I'm being honest, knowing that I'm being paid a set dollar amount for each of the hours I put into a job is kind of alluring. I'm really looking forward to this. Plus it doesn't hurt that I'll still be doing what I love by working for a company I am a huge fan of.
This doesn't mean my life as an author is over. Not even close. As I said above, I still intend to push myself. In fact, I'm thinking getting away from the desk for a few hours each day is going to help me in the long run. Yes, I have more ideas than I can ever hope to complete and yes, more are popping into my head as I type this, but after a while, it gets tiring. I worry about stagnation. I worry that my books are not as high quality as the first ones I've written. I worry that I'm recycling the same themes over and over.
So my plan is to slow down. I'm still on track to get the final Kyroibi Trilogy book out in May of 2018, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be putting out anything this winter. All in all, I'm looking at the possibility that I may release only one or two titles a year and I'm not as likely to commit to another series just yet. But I will keep writing.
Because that is what I love. Whether it pays the bills or not.
All photos used created by Pixabay user Ramdlon and used under creative commons CCO.
Doing what you love is great and doing what makes you happy is even better. Good luck in all you ever do.
ReplyDeleteIf it's a job you love and want to do, then you'll be fine. Just dodge between those raindrops and keep writing. One day you'll be retired (like me!) then you can sit down, not worry about having to get up at a certain time or about deadlines, and write your ass off! (only, try to avoid getting the crud, like I've had for the last week - it's harder to throw off when you're seventy!)
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