If I may be sentimental/introspective for a post…
I haven’t done a “Writing Wednesday” post in a while. Laziness is mainly to blame, but I’m also currently in the middle of a minor re-invention (that’s what I’m calling it, anyway).
On a technological level: I finally replaced my (almost) 6-year-old laptop because I needed to be able to carry it around without always having it plugged in (I popped the battery out of the old one about a year ago). And my phone contract was up, so I replaced that too.
On a superficial level: On my 24th birthday, I got a piercing and a tattoo (an event that can either be seen as a quarter-life crisis or as wish fulfillment) and yesterday, I picked up my new glasses.
On a personal level: Friday is my last day of work. I’ve been at this office job for what seems like forever (I’d have hit 2 years in August), and, while I love my boss and like my co-workers, I’ve never really liked my actual job (customer service, among other things). I never pictured myself working in a cubicle, and I always figured, if I ended up with a desk job, it would be in the book industry. That seemed a far off dream until a few months ago when I – to quote John O’Callaghan – “grabbed the world by its loins”. And by “world”, I mean “my future”.
Over the past few months, I’ve (slowly) started entering writing contests and researching possible literary agents. In mid-March, I registered for a publishing certificate program – it starts on Monday (classes run from 9am-4pm). Last week, I registered for the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York, which takes place the first weekend of August.
Basically, I’m giving up on a steady job that I never really wanted in the first place to chase my dreams. Is it a risk? Well, I won’t be making money for at least 3.5 months this summer, so for Pete’s sake, can someone firmly talk me out of buying concert merch? Otherwise, I think I’ll be fine. I’ll be a little poorer and a little more tired, but if I can come out the other side with a better understanding of the publishing industry (and maybe even a job? With, like, Penguin? Or Random House?!), I’ll count it as a win.
