I love the idea of working for myself, but it’s not all
sunshine and carefree work days. Aside from the obvious pressure of maintaining
enough paying clients and paying for one’s own health insurance, the biggest
things I miss from working for someone else are NO sick days and NO snow days.
Okay, sick days… I actually had Chicken Pox at the ripe old
age of 40 and I worked during the entire illness… thank goodness I didn’t have
to use any videoconferencing; I was very self-conscious about those terrible
red marks. That was a couple of decades ago.
And snow days, wow. It is hard to complain about commuting
over snow covered roads when all you have to do is walk down the hallway from
your bedroom. I even begin most of my workdays in my robe and jammies. The only
thing that really puts me out of work is a power failure and/or internet
interruption; with the convenience of a fully charged laptop, fully charged
tablet or fully charged smart phone I can at least manage a few of my tasks (I
just have to remember to plug everything in to keep them charged).
The most important thing is that I am doing what I want to
do, I love to write, I love to know that people read my words and maybe, just
maybe I can make a difference for someone.
My favorite kind of writing is my fiction; I love to tell
stories combining passion and suspense. Let’s face facts though, few fiction
authors exist on their writing alone. I am doubly lucky, I enjoy my “back-up”
job as a journalist — yes, still writing. I write how-to articles, blog on
medical issues, author a monthly column in an Emergency Medical Services trade
paper, and publish a Kindle blog filled with writing lessons. I love the
research and getting information out to people who need it.
"If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in
your life." I heard that adage many years ago and I wind up living my work
life by it. There are days I get frustrated, clients are paying on time, I could
use more money (who can’t?), a subject I am interviewing isn’t very
cooperative, and that’s just the non-fiction part. For my novels and short
stories, I wish I had more readers, more reviews, more sales and better Amazon
rankings.
I am extraordinarily lucky, I work with several absolutely
wonderful editors; of course I try very hard to meet all of my deadlines and
get the job done to their satisfaction, I hope they feel as warmly about me. My
novel publisher is beyond words terrific, goes out of her way for her authors
and always encourages each one of us; she has also become a very good friend,
although I have never met her face to face we’ve shared many great phone calls
and emails. And the best thing of all is the support I get from my husband,
emotionally and, yes, financially.
So it’s off to work I go, despite my occasional sniffles,
with a smile on my face.
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