So, it’s been a while. Sorry about that. I spent the last seven months working, getting my migraines under control, dealing with everyday issues–pretty much everything but writing, or writing about writing. The one exception was a disastrous NaNoWriMo which I did, miraculously, manage to finish, but which may be my last one, at least for a while. I still strongly support the endeavor, and I believe it has its place, but right now it’s not the place I need to be in. During this period I also learned that the part-time cataloger position I’d been waiting for was finally coming into existence, and, holding my breath, I took the leap. It’s scary to give up the security of a full-time job, especially in this economy, but after spending years struggling to balance a five-day work week, marriage, renovating a house, my writing, and life in general, I felt that it was something I had to do. Over the years I had actually considered giving up the job completely, so part-time was a nice compromise: a steady paycheck, but also time to write.
I started working part-time last week, and so far it’s been…unpredictable. The snowstorms of the past two weeks have wreaked havoc with my schedule, both personal and professional. My two main goals at the moment are to write this blog post and to finish (start) editing my short story “Me & Marie” so that I can send it out. Normally I would be irritated that for one reason or another over the past week and a half I was unable to accomplish even one goal, but one thing that I’ve already noticed that’s different about this schedule is that I’m more calm about delays and setbacks because I know I have more time. If something doesn’t get done today, I don’t have to wait a week for more time. There is always tomorrow, or the next day. This has always been the case, but in the past there was so little free time that if I didn’t work at full speed all the time (and even if I did) I felt like I was drowning. The list of things that had to be done was so long that writing just kept falling off the bottom of it. Yes, I wanted to be a professional writer, but that was a vague future goal, and meanwhile these bills had to be paid, this laundry had to be done, these books had to be cataloged, and don’t forget the vet appointment and the dentist. When I chose to work part-time, I chose to stop putting writing at the bottom of that list. And while things have gotten off to a rocky start, remembering that commitment comforts me. And that commitment might be as important as having the time to actually write, because I know I have a long road ahead of me. It’s a road I started on years ago, and I wandered off of it for a while, but I’m back now, and with a little luck and a lot of perseverance, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me from now on.
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