07 March 2014

Step by Step

Thanks to everyone who stopped by on Wednesday and left me their thoughts. I really appreciate it. I think I got some good advice that I'll definitely take into consideration. This certainly isn't a decision I can jump into headfirst. It's going to take some time and a lot of planning. So I came to a realization this morning that was actually really amusing.

The people I should really be taking advice from are the characters in my book.

I know, I know, sounds crazy. But it was kind of staring me in the face the whole time. Early on in the book, Jordan compares figuring out their relationship to a math problem the two are working on. "Step by step, right?"

Anyway, I could go on for days describing my characters and how their relationship relates to my thought process right now, but I'll skip ahead. The first thing I have to do is plan. Lots and lots of planning. I have to make a list of the things I want to get done before I even put in my notice at work--pay off my credit card, figure out how much money I spend on bills each month, get my savings up to a certain amount. I also really want to finish my second draft before leaving my job because a lot of my coworkers are reading it and I just really want to get some responses in person. Can't help myself, really. And if I can get my book query ready by the end of my staycation this month, I'll be in a better position than I am now.

This whole thing is going to be a long, step by step process. I'll want to create my non-working daily schedule, map out every single goal I have in mind. But I honestly think that it's going to happen within the next few months. Best case scenario, my book gets published and I earn enough to not work (I can dream, ok?). Second best, I get my resume done and find a job that I actually like, or get into freelancing so I can work from home. There's plenty of possibilities that are all better than the situation I'm in now.

We'll see how it goes. For now I just have to take it one step at a time.

10 comments:

  1. Read One Bird at a Time if you haven't already. Lamott will confirm what you've just said.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ^^What she said.

    My day job makes me miserable most days; I'd love to phase it out in favor of becoming a full time writer. Maybe someday.

    I wish you luck with whatever you decide to do.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can't imagine any of you being stuck in a job you hate. Gotta be jobs you would enjoy meanwhile!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been in a similar place, struggling to decide whether to give up my full time job so that I could write. And then a little while later, after a hiatus from the corporate world, I decided to come back and fortune found me. I found a FT job that allowed me to have enough work-life balance (and daily amusement) to support myself while I write. Hang in there Sarah, and best of luck!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad you've made the decision and started planning!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lee is right. Read One Bird at a Time! It helped me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your staycation will be good practice for working at home. Being your own boss is a difficult beast, as I found out on my staycation last week (by the end I was staying up until 2am every night and sleeping all day). If it were me and I were any good at writing I would shoot for some freelance positions. Anyway, you're in an exciting place and I'm interested to hear about your adventures.Go do scary stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I tried to follow your blog but my Internet is working weird right now and won't let me; I'll try following again later. Anyway, I think it's great that you're carefully planning your finances; that's definitely important. I read a lot of personal finance blogs; one that I especially like is called Surviving and Thriving, which is written by Donna Freedman, at donnafreedman.com. She gives great advice on how to live frugally, which helped me a lot, because I'm a broke grad student and her "frugal hacks" saved me a lot of money.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes, true this. Planning is key. I'll sort out my plans, too.

    ReplyDelete