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.
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Read One Bird at a Time if you haven't already. Lamott will confirm what you've just said.
ReplyDelete^^What she said.
ReplyDeleteMy 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.
I can't imagine any of you being stuck in a job you hate. Gotta be jobs you would enjoy meanwhile!
ReplyDeleteI'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!
ReplyDeleteGlad you've made the decision and started planning!
ReplyDeleteLee is right. Read One Bird at a Time! It helped me.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! :D
ReplyDeleteYour 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!
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteYes, true this. Planning is key. I'll sort out my plans, too.
ReplyDelete