I’m working at my park office today, which means I rode my bike ten minutes to a waterfront picnic table and set up my laptop facing the bayou so I could have some decent scenery while I write. The weather is finally nice here, and I can sit outdoors even in the afternoon without sweating. I have to teach the greater portion of tomorrow, so I need to get a lot of writing and editing done today. I’m on the countdown with teaching and will be done with that job as of the second week of December. It’s been an interesting few years, but it’s time to move on.
The reality of being a writer, as with lots of things in life, is that I have to have something in the pipe at all times or I risk the well going dry. I love to write, so creating something isn’t the issue, but I need to always have stuff ready for print, and that’s a more difficult game, especially when balancing multiple other jobs and a natural inclination for extreme disorganization. I have an essay scheduled for publication in an anthology, and I’m super excited about that, but my brain is always on what’s next. Good thing I like to hustle and love a good adventure.
The hardest thing about writing this book is balancing the required writing commitment with my other two jobs. I definitely bit off more than I can chew this semester, but I agreed to teach again before I secured a book contract. I thought a long time about only working outpatient PT and freeing up more time to write, but my financial panic won and I chose to teach. Plus, some of my overwhelmed feelings are probably due to my personality, which is not at all Type A. I imagine that if I were a very A person, I’d have a spreadsheet for each day and each hour and could perhaps handle whatever life throws my way. As it stands, I’m just glad my desk is no longer on the verge of being condemned.
Despite being somewhat overwhelmed, my overall feeling today is one of disbelief and gratitude. After taking a winding road pocked with sometimes bizarre choices, I’m at a point in life where I’m sitting at a picnic table overlooking the water as I work on a book that is UNDER CONTRACT. The dream continues, but this time it’s real.