Thursday, August 14, 2008

How this writing life started

I knew when I was 8 that I wanted to be a writer. There was a drawer in our living room with my stories, written on that one-inch ruled paper you use in kindergarten. I have a degree in creative writing as proof that I am serious, but also that I am willing to disregard family concerns about my career choice. Yet, only now at age 28 have I finally cut ties with traditional income flow and decided to go broke writing.

A few of my writing jobs: crappy commercials, grants, scripts for documentaries, business letters, and during college i wrote papers for $10 a page.

No more writing for everyone else, or doing office jobs to pay the bills. I've saved some money, cut the cable, don't own a car, and will waitress as needed to avoid the traditional 9 to 5. Two weeks ago I left a good paying job. In reality, as excited as I am about this little experiment, it is scary as hell to know that I gave up security.

Never interested in blogs before, I realize that it is one more way to keep myself motivated. If I don't feel like writing anything else, it's fairly easy to put random thoughts on the page, with the added motivation that someone might be bored enough to read it.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Really, you've wanted to be a writer since you were 5. Only you probably don't remember this so much.

D. H. Callahan said...

"... bored enough to read it."? You do yourself a disservice there. I relish your blog! Your experiences are rich, diverse, and inspiring, and you put them in words with great effect. I, for one, have been inspired by your passion for writing, and have decided to start my own blog. I hope you continue to chronicle your adventures and delight "bored" individuals like myself. Thank you for sharing.