This is a great topic for me because I have made some really big changes in my life to help me reach my goals. For a long time, I was told that writing was impractical and that I should get a "real job." As it turned out, I worked like a dog for over twelve years and was killing myself doing work I couldn't stand. I finally reached my limit in 2005 and quit a rather well-paying "real job" so that I could back up and regroup. That's when I found writing again.
I had originally decided to stay home to spend more time with my daughter and to help myself figure out what was physically wrong with me. Mostly, I found out that the stress of the work I was doing was the big problem. A couple of years after that, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and most recently, undifferentiated connective tissue disease. I had been working as a Human Resources Manager and the stress I encountered on a daily basis was simply at odds with the disease. I finally figured out that I never wanted to do that kind of work again after attempting to go back to work in HR and finding that I couldn't even get through a week without running down.
What saved me, and continues to save me is that I started writing again. I pulled out my old binder of half-written stories and started putting some of them together again. I even finished a couple and submitted them to a publisher. To my surprise, I ended up with two published books and two published short stories. I've spent the last couple of years doing what I love and being able to spend time with my daughter. In addition, through writing, I opened up a whole network of friends I didn't have before. The support has been overwhelming and much appreciated.
So, though I may have been frustrated as I took the steps to get things moving, I'm so glad that I am continuing to make this journey as a writer. This is who I am and I'm not turning back. I've had other new writers ask me why it's so tough to promote books and to get out there and sell what you've written and I tell them, "That's what makes it worth doing."
Have a Happy New Year, everyone! I can't wait to see where 2008 takes me.
Until next time...
