Writing Update

It's been ten months since I took a big risk and decided to quit my day job to take some time off to write. Recently, I've taken the decision to get a day job for a few reasons. First, I found that not only am I not productive as a writer for more than five hours a day (because apparently my writer-brain switches off after said five hours and I start writing crap). So, what do I do with myself for the rest of the day?

I get my life back together and go get a job, that's what I do. So, I've been poking here and there about jobs that really interest me and at which I think I'd be great at because during the past ten months, I also discovered something else: that I need to be doing something else apart from writing and that I'm not prepared to drop it all off just to try and get published. Fact is, maybe I'm not ready to get published. It will happen when it has to happen. Maybe that will take five years time or maybe ten. In the meantime, I not only have to support myself financially but I also want to do something that really engages me. So here goes, I'll be putting those fancy degrees I got to further use after all. I'm not saying it's going to be easy - it's not. But I'm looking forward to the challenge because if there's one thing that I love, it's a good challenge.

That doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing altogether. I'm not. Because I think writing helps me process things at a subconscious level and helps me grow as a person - it's not only therapeutic, it actually makes me happy. The main reason I'm going to continue writing is because I will first and foremost write for my own pleasure and not with the stupid idea in mind that I absolutely HAVE to get published. Because in the end, I'm going to drive myself miserable if I continue down that path.

For the past ten months, I've written more than I have ever written in my life. Ever. It made me realize that I'd just been dabbling in writing since my teenage years, not actually really writing. Now, I am really writing. And I'm proud and happy that I've achieved at least part of the thing that I set out to do, when I decided to take my writing break. Now, I know that I'm capable of writing regularly. I just need to learn how to finish. And I think I'm well on my way there. I just have to keep at it.

Okay, now that I've said my piece and it's time to make my peace. To new challenges.