The depth and breadth of the books swept me away every time, and writing them? Was a dream come true. That was the first hit. The second hit happened when a magazine (digital) that I've written for for several years shuttered its doors. Now, the freelance gig wasn't the writing of my dreams but it paid a lot of bills. Between the two, I felt like this writing dream of mine was winking out. Taking a nap. Maybe a nap that I'd never wake from. It was...hard is the best word I can come up with. I had to reimagine what I wanted to do, non-fiction wise. I had to think about the books I really wanted to write for fiction. And I needed money to be coming in to pay those bills!
Freelance writing is a very shallow pool anymore. Although websites need content more than ever, there are so many people willing to write for less than a penny per word that finding those jobs that actually pay well is hard. And then there are the places that say they'll pay and then don't. It's a scary place. So my solution to the immediate money issue was the take a job outside the home. It's a part-time thing that replaces the monthly income that came from my freelance writing, and yet that still leaves me time to A) write and B) work on some freelance work and C) still do some graphics/formatting work that I've been doing for clients.
Once I was on more financially stable ground, it was time to start thinking about the writing. I love writing romance, but one things I particularly loved about writing for Superromance was the added depth of the stories - there was room for subplots, more personal growth arcs, more family/friend arcs. I adored that kind of writing and I wanted to do more of it. It was time to start making plans.
Those plans blossomed during a writing retreat I took with some friends in the fall, and since then, I've been making plans. Plans for querying, plans for writing, plans for more "big books", plans for romance books, and plans for women's fiction books because I feel like that is the next step I want to take. It's scary taking on new challenges...and that brings me to my word for 2019: it's Rise.
Rise because I got knocked down pretty hard in late 2017/2018. Rise because I'm not done writing. I have more stories to tell, but I need to find the venue in which to tell them. Rise because there is still more to be done.
Do you have a word for 2019?
My word this year is Try. Like you and many others, I was exhausted, saddened, and disappointed by 2018. I want to promise to do better, to achieve, to write fill-in-the-blank words or lose fill-in-the-blank pounds--all those things. But I don't want to fail at them, and I believe the only real failure is in not trying, so...yeah, I'm going to Try. And you're going to Rise. The Wranglers are looking good so far!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liz! And I love that try is your word - it's a small word but it means SO MUCH!!
Delete2018 was exhausting, mostly because our household started planning for big changes that some of weren't entirely ready for and still aren't to some degree, and because I started writing for a new publisher and editing gigs were at a premium most of the year. The first book for Tule is on the shelves, slowly, we're getting the house ready to sell, and a new editing opportunity came along in October that is filling in the gaps. All in all, it ended better. My 2019 word is Chill. It's all going to be okay, so chill. Life is short, so chill. Everything will work out, so chill. We'll see, eh? Great post, Kristi!
ReplyDeleteLove this, Nan! I need to remember to CHILL a little bit...just not tooo much! lol
DeleteI had a similar experience, losing my job in 2017. In 2018, my son graduated and went into the Marines and I went the freelance route. I'm still working with a handful of steady clients, but they are hard to find. My word for 2019 is CHANGE. I have changed direction in my career, from higher ed to communications/marketing full time for a past freelance client. I work 30 hours/week, only have to be in the office one day/week and this gives me the flexibility to write and freelance. I'm also shifting the focus of my freelance to working with other writers and taking a leap, working with a co-author for the first time on what potentially could be the biggest project of my career. So I know where you are and wish you the best on your journey!
ReplyDeletethat is so great, Marty!! Sounds like you've got lots to be happy about this year!!
DeleteI love your word. I shared mine today on my post. On Liz's Heartwarming FB post today, someone chose "Seek" as theirs. I kinda like that one too. And I love Nan's Chill.-Hey, there's title for you. LOL
ReplyDeleteI actually have a book called Chill Out. It's a Valentine book and every book in the series is named for a saying on a Valentine Candy Heart.
ReplyDeleteMy word last year was Determination. And it worked for me. I self-published 4 novels in 2018 and contracted for another one that will release next month. But some other things fell by the wayside. I've been struggling with problems with my back a good part of 2018. So this year my word is Care - mostly self care. I need to exercise and look after myself because I won't be able to write if I'm not feeling well. So Care, with a side of Determination.