At the beginning of 2019, I wrote THIS POST about what it was like to live as a writer. Back then, I was coaching another writer through their creative process, drafting my sixth book, and scrounging for pennies through odd jobs.
Oh, and loving on this blog way, way more than I have time to do now.
I was also discouraged. I’d been writing seriously for seven years and was seriously broke. Most of my money came from working for my parents, and I was so ready to see actual progress in my career.
Turns out, I was about to see it in a big, big way.
Part of me wishes I could go back and sit with that version of myself. Have a cup of tea. Curl up on the couch. Enjoy the silence and the free time she had and tell her all about what living like a writer would look like in seven years.
I’d tell her about her first real job, and what it’s like to sit in a writer’s room going over a script line by line with her team and cracking each other up with our corny suggestions as we brainstorm a replacement for a joke that didn’t quite hit.
I’d tell her about how long she’s going to spend answering pretend interview questions in her car while she drives, because now part of her job is answering questions about her work on podcasts, and it’s harder than she would think to sound natural in front of a microphone. I might also ask her to start practicing her autograph now, because whether she believes it or not, she’s going to need one.
I’d tell her that three of her books are on her shelf now, and a good chunk of her personal writing time is spent coordinating with cover designers, editors, and illustrators as she works on getting the last two out.
Which will, unfortunately, remind me that I have a map to design for this year’s release that I haven’t even thought about.
Drat. I should put that on a to-do list somewhere.
Thankfully, I still wander through the woods to clear my head to write. Only now, I do it with a three year old who is fighting off monsters with his stick-sword in tow. Sometimes, I get my own stick, and we fight the monsters together.
Luckily for me, living like a writer will always have a bit of fantasy, whimsy, and imagination tucked away in the corners. Somewhere.
So much can change in seven years! When you look back on the beginning of 2019, what is something you would tell that much younger version of yourself about where you are now?
Leave a Reply