Friday, May 5, 2017

Yes, it's okay to have a day job (for writers) / Happenings In The Outhouse 05-May-2017

Last month, I celebrated my 20th year with my employer.

Did I ever think, way back in the day, that I'd still be there?  Let me be honest and say probably not.  It has nothing to do with the job itself, which I do enjoy, and has nothing to do with how the employees are treated, which are very well.

I had dreams, back in the day, of being a published author.  You know, as in, signing with Simon and Schuster or Tor or Bantam Doubleday.  I wrote, I submitted.  To literary agents, of course.  And I kept writing.

But to no avail.

My story is not unique.  In fact, roughly ten years ago, I had a countdown in my basement office with my "last day."

Of course, that day has come and gone.

I am not bitter about any of it.  Like I said, the employer treats its employees well, has one of the best health insurance plans in the entire country (no joke!), and I do enjoy what I do.  So it's okay to have this day job while I continue to add to my writing empire.

Will I still be here after another 20 years?  All I can do is shrug and say, "Time will tell."  Yes, I would love to be completely self-employed, but right now I'm okay with having a day job.

Okay, I promote all writers to read Dean Wesley Smith's blogs, and he has a series of blogs he titles The Magic Bakery.  Click on this link to read all of his blogs tagged with the magic bakery.  Dean always opens my eyes to the ever-changing world of indie publishing (actually, publishing and writing in general), so I strongly urge you to read these blog posts.

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