The Writer's Corner
I'm going to try and put up a "Writer's Post" again now and then--as a number of people have asked me to share thoughts on various elements of the business, the process, or life as a writer.
So, here goes . . .
The Possible Dangers of Giving it your "All"
It’s funny how our perspectives can change as we get
older. Back in my grad school
days, in my late twenties and early thirties, I knew a number of people whose
dream was to be a professional writer, and they were going after that dream no
matter what it cost them. At the
time, I found that mindset quite romantic. For myself . . . I planned to teach college English as my
career and write on the side in hopes of becoming published. But I had a husband and a daughter, and
I feared putting all my future eggs into the basket of “making it as a writer.” I had personal and financial
responsibilities.
However, though I was pragmatic for myself, I still over-romanticized
the bohemian idea of living on almost nothing and sacrificing everything for
the goal of “becoming a writer.”
I will be fifty years old in June, and my perspective is
beginning to change somewhat.
I now know more than a few people who are also in their
fifties, who did sacrifice everything—career, financial goals, relationships,
everything—for the dream of “becoming a writer” . . . and then it never happened for
them. I’m finding that this is not
so romantic for people in their mid-fifties heading into their sixties.
Recently, I’ve been faced with a few real tragedies for people
who clung only to that one goal and dogmatically ignored everything else in
their lives.
At the same time, I believe that the people who become
published, successful writers are the ones who don’t give up.
So, for my younger friends out there who want to be writers,
I say, follow your dreams, don’t ever give up, but develop a back-up plan and
put the needs of the people you love first. Also . . .
think about a retirement account.
Barb’s two cents for the day.
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