Monday, February 18, 2013

A time for change...


First of all, there's a lot a bad juju out in the universe right now. From all the random, illogical violence happening across our country to the meteor hitting the atmosphere over Russia to some tragic deaths closer to my heart, it's been a wicked week. Hug the ones you love and tell them you love them.

Now what's this change I speak of?

Well, it seems every 12 to 15 months I have a sort of writing freak-out wherein I question my pursuit of publication. I know what writing entails. I know what a good story needs. I know about deep point of view, turning points, the black moment, and goals, motivation and conflict.

What I can't seem to do is pull all of that together to write--to finish--a book of my own. I reach a point at which it seems impossible to actually pull all of the elements together into a cohesive whole.

I've also come to the conclusion that I really enjoy the beta reading/proof reading process and I've finally decided to change tacks and give that a go.

To that end, I'm hanging up my shingle for proof reading services--see the text gadget at the top of the column to the left.

Way way back in the day, I sold Tupperware. I loved Tupper. I used Tupper. And I needed a way to make some extra cash, so I tried selling it. But somewhere along the way someone said to me: Some people are meant to be great Tupperware ladies and some people are just meant to be great hostesses.

I think that can sort of apply to me here. So I'm going to stop trying to write stories for publication, at least for the moment, and help others make their stories the cleanest, best stories they can possibly be.

Have you ever changed career paths?

5 comments:

Chill N said...

Wow, Jen, what an announcement! Maybe this will work somewhat like judging does -- you learn a lot about writing by reading others' work and helping them. Maybe you'll return to writing renewed :-)

Nancy

Regina Richards said...

Congrats on the new endeavor, Jen!

As for changing careers. That will happen for me this summer or next fall. We have two in college and have been swinging that with careful budgeting, but there's not much wiggle room left in the budget and a third child starts college this fall. So while I have no intention of giving up writing, I'll be looking for work soon.

Unknown said...

Congrats on your new path, Jen! I have changed careers, and it was scary and exhilarating all at the same time. I wish you the best in this new endeavor, and I look forward to reading more about your experiences! :)

Jen FitzGerald said...

Thanks for the support, friends. This isn't that scary, really. I'm just anxious to get started.

Good luck finding something fun to do, Regina.

Thanks, Nancy! I guess we'll see. But I'll still be writing. I've got several fanfics I really want to finish.

Thanks for your support, Lara.

Lynne Kensington said...

I have done--twice. I waitressed for many years, then quit to sell real estate. Real estate was very difficult (I simply cannot grasp legaleeze) and stressful and my broker was crooked, so I went back to waitressing. Then, a few years ago, I quit waitressing again to sell Avon full time. I'm finding myself dissatisfied--mainly with the leadership end of it and trying to motivate people who want things in life but then whine when they find out there's work involved. I also HATE HATE HATE doing taxes from a business owner perspective; might not be so bad if I could just keep up on it throughout the year, but that's never the case, as I'm sure you know, having heard me whine about this same subject for many years. If I were to change careers again, I'd want my new career to be a kept woman. :P

And while I do admit to a certain melancholy at your announcement to hang up your writing career (at least for the moment), I also understand, and do look forward to using your proof-reader services and seeing more fan fiction from you. :D