On this third day of the A to Z Challenge, I’m thinking C is for Career. Do you have a career? A career is a thing of the past for me. As for a writing career, it never really got off the ground. I’ve had more nonfiction success but my passion isn’t nonfiction. Really, I never visualized myself with a writing career.
With fiction, I tend to chase markets. I thought it was fun in my younger days. (Truth be known, I still think it’s fun.) But, unless on assignment, I’ve always started projects that I didn’t finish, or completed but never revised. I always took rejection too seriously, and moved around so much because of hubby’s work that any writing routine was a challenge.
Anyway, at best, I’m probably a mediocre writer. My sentences don’t sing–not even to me. Not like Elizabeth Berg’s or Nora’s.
There was a time (in my younger days) I was driven. Not so much anymore. A successful writer has to put writing first. I can’t do that. And won’t. There are people, places and things that come first in my life.
Maybe I’m just Confused. Another C-word. I look at what’s happening in publishing and sometimes, it just doesn’t seem worth the effort. I read blogs that state the market is saturated with self-published authors creating ebooks, and that no one is making any money. I read another blog that says why get an agent, they have no role in our writing lives/careers anymore. Another blog will say publishers are cheating us out of our rights, tying up ebooks forever and a day.
Yeah, I’m confused. Didn’t this used to be fun? Okay, yeah, sometimes it still is.
But, I wonder what I’d do if I was a writer just starting out, and didn’t know what I know from years and years of studying, writing, taking classes and reading the trade mags? What would my career path be? Would I take the indie route and hope some witty tweet, blog post, interview would snag attention, make me a best seller? Would I pursue an agent while publishing short ebooks and stories, and hope one helped the other? Many writers suggest we do that–both.
A friend told me years ago that she didn’t love writing enough to write for the fun of it. I didn’t understand what she meant (and remember feeling sad for her) but I think I understand now.
Creating a Career in writing is a real Challenge. Everything has Changed.
I don’t like change, even though change often brings better/more opportunities.
I like assignments. I like for someone to tell me what to do so I can just do it. Not have to think or plan. Just produce. Maybe that’s why I’ve always chased the markets.
Do you have a career plan? Share it with me … better yet, create one for me.
I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same.
Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. It’s fun!
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