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| Dog at Work: The Reproachful Look |
Awesome Things About Being an Author
1. I make stuff up...and strangers actually read it! By choice! That never stops being amazing.
2. Flexibility: Where, when, how, and with whom the work gets done.
3. Every day is "bring your dog to work" day.
4. Talking to myself aloud doesn't result in the cops being called out on a 5150.
5. Sometimes my work resonates with a reader and influences the way they perceive/interact with their very real world. Sometimes they even tell me about it. Most awesome part ever, always.
Less Awesome Things About Being an Author?
1. Unpredictability...the hours. Anyone self-employed knows there's no such thing as "regular hours," "vacation days," or "calling in sick. It takes as long as it takes, and some days productivity just.isn't.happening.
2. Unpredictability...successes and failures. There's no formula, no process that if followed will guarantee commercial and critical success. One success doesn't lead to another. One failure can follow you for years.
3. Unpredictability...how long it takes to write a book. It's never the same from book to book. 45 days. 18 months. 4 years. Yes to all. Some stories insist on fighting me. Some can't wait to be told.
4. Unpredictability...in finances. No such thing as a "regular paycheck." No certainty about how much a book will earn in what amount of time. No certainty that April is going to be better than June. No warning when the "famine" season will start or how long it'll last.
5. Unpredictability...in self-discipline. Being self-employed and one's own boss demands a lot of personal discipline. There's a time for nose-to-the-grindstone and a time for cutting loose. Yet, despite how virtuous I plan on being for a set time, my willpower isn't all it ought to be. Work avoidance is a thing and not one of which I am proud. Alas. There's no one to blame but me, me, me. Piffle.
All that said, there's no other job I'd rather have than being a professional story weaver, imagination feeder, and full-time author.
