When I think of Freedom as an individual - much of the concept revolves around Financial vs. Self and the conflict between the two. Having been raised by children of the sixties, my parents wanted nothing more for me than to be happy.
Well parents - Mission accomplished!
Now I'm not saying I don't have problems like the rest of the world. I have illness, bills and some debt. I hate when simple decisions are made by financial need. Things like going to a movie, taking a trip, or even picking up a good book. :(
Considering these items, I'm overall happy with my life. Why? I have the freedom of writing - an opportunity to escape, to a world I love, and make some money along my journey.
These days I tend to be more of a Hobbie Writer - doing it in my spare time when I'm not working the M-F gig to pay the bills. However, I have big dreams - I plan to gain my financial freedom with my writing. I don't need millions of dollars, though that would be nice. :) Thanks to said hippie parents, I've never been one to live much beyond my means.
My husband, finally achieve his freedom to do and be what he loves. He went back to school, and now is an instructor to student pilots.
This brings me to the second part of my Freedom concept -self. When you have to pay bills and meet financial obligations, this requires you to have money. For most authors this means you have to either, make enough money writing, or keep a job. For most, this tears us between writing and work. A rock and hard place. We need to work to make money, but sometimes a job inteferes with our creative process by consuming our time, energy and resources.
What's a writer to do? There is a school of thought that in order to "make it", you need to focus only on your writing. Quit your day (or night) job and treat writing as a business. This might work for some people, but it would not work for me. I think if I treated my creative process as work, I might not enjoy it as much.
In order for me to achieve results as a writer, I need to achieve a sense of self. Who am I? How do I want people to remember me? If you're not sure, imagine introducing yourself at a community cocktail party (not a conference, not the company Christmas party, and maybe not necessarily your own community).
"Hi my name is Tina."
"Hi Tina. What do you do?"
There it is- what do you do? How do you answer this question? Are you an author? Do you get into specific genres or only when prodded? Do you identify more with a title you have at work? Do you identify with being a parent, spouse or some other connection?
To say, "I'm a parent putting two kids through college," does not make me less of a writer. It's simply my sense of self - right now, at this time, in my life. As I go on, I will talk about the books I write, and the fortune 500 company I work for. Identifying my sense of self, helps give way to my goals (where I want to be), and give me a sense of achievable Freedom in my future.
"You have freedom when you're easy in your harness." ~Robert Frost
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Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
21 July 2013
27 June 2011
10 Reasons Why I love My Job
10) Being a millionarie is fun.
Well, at least it looks like fun. No, being a multi-published author does not mean that I am rich, or live in a mansion, or even like caviar. What it does mean is that I have a job that I love.
9) Partying with those hot hunky cover models is a kick.
In my dreams. Ha. No, I've never met the sizzling model who became my Cain on the cover of Soul Stealer, or the hot and intense model on Catch Me in Castile. Sigh. But I do have a job that I love that allows me to stay home and party with my hunky sizzling hot hubby and that's heaven for me.
8) Jet-setting around the world to sign books makes my day
Or it would if I could. But I do have a job where I GET to talk to readers on the internet and sometimes in person. This I do LOVE.
7) Being followed by paparazzi is such a pain
For superstars. I have a job where I can be in the public eye and yet few people know who I am. I love fans. Truly big love. So if you do see me and want to chat PLEASE DO!
6) People respect what I do
Mostly. On a very rare ocassion a person will turn up their nose when I say I write romance. Honestly, that is rare. I have a job where I work hard and write the best stories I can write. I am not concerned with those who don't respect what I do. They don't have to buy the books. But if they did, they might be surprised to find that they like them.
5) Writers are wonderful people
They are! I work at a job where all my contemporaries, mentors and mentees all support one another. Writers great and small have encouraged me to succeed in hundreds of ways. How often does that happen in other industries? I love writers. BIG, BIG love.
4) Creating stories is fun
Usually. Except for those days when nothing seems to work and my fingers feel like they are moving through mud. Writing can become painful work. Sometimes my brain hurts. Sometimes I need to take a nap. But! Other times writing IS fun. On those days, my fingers can't move fast enough to get the story down. The charcters are all talking and doing important stuff and really living. And creating stories is a blast.
5) The characters are all me
Not completely. But my characters are usually people that I want to get to know better. They have a flaw or two that I see in myself. I put them in dangerous positions and wait to see how they get out. I learn from them. I cheer for them, cry with them and fall in love beside them. When the book is done, I miss my characters. Is that weird? I don't think so. An author has to get under her character's skin to make them believable beings. Okay, maybe it's weird. But it is one of the main reasons why I love my job.
4) I get to be the boss
Sort of. Sure, I create the world, the people, the life-or-death-problems, but do I get to be in charge? Not really. Once I set my characters in motion, they tend to have lives of their own. This is one of my favorite parts of my job. Watching my creations come alive. Letting them live the story, instead of me bossing them around.
3) A few hours each day is all I need to write a book
This is partially true. I usually type two to four hours a day. But the typing is only part of the job. Writing is more than putting words on a page. There's research, reading, and most importantly THINKING. I won't start writing any story unless I have the plot points in my mind, have sketched out who my characters are and can "see" the setting.
2) Two months is all I need to write a book and then it's party time!
Snort. I can write a first draft in two months. Seriously, it's possible. But that's only the first draft. For me, the real work begins at the editing stage. And this stage can take up to a year.
1) It's Pure Bliss
For me. I can't not write. It's in my bone marrow, or genes, or hair folicals, or something. I am a writer who works every day except Sundays. I think, dream and read about writing. Don't talking to me about writing unless you want a passionate discussion. Creating a new story is amazing. Talking to fans is awesome. Geting to do what I love? Priceless.
Kimberley Troutte
www.kimberleytroutte.com
Well, at least it looks like fun. No, being a multi-published author does not mean that I am rich, or live in a mansion, or even like caviar. What it does mean is that I have a job that I love.
9) Partying with those hot hunky cover models is a kick.
In my dreams. Ha. No, I've never met the sizzling model who became my Cain on the cover of Soul Stealer, or the hot and intense model on Catch Me in Castile. Sigh. But I do have a job that I love that allows me to stay home and party with my hunky sizzling hot hubby and that's heaven for me.
8) Jet-setting around the world to sign books makes my day
Or it would if I could. But I do have a job where I GET to talk to readers on the internet and sometimes in person. This I do LOVE.
7) Being followed by paparazzi is such a pain
For superstars. I have a job where I can be in the public eye and yet few people know who I am. I love fans. Truly big love. So if you do see me and want to chat PLEASE DO!
6) People respect what I do
Mostly. On a very rare ocassion a person will turn up their nose when I say I write romance. Honestly, that is rare. I have a job where I work hard and write the best stories I can write. I am not concerned with those who don't respect what I do. They don't have to buy the books. But if they did, they might be surprised to find that they like them.
5) Writers are wonderful people
They are! I work at a job where all my contemporaries, mentors and mentees all support one another. Writers great and small have encouraged me to succeed in hundreds of ways. How often does that happen in other industries? I love writers. BIG, BIG love.
4) Creating stories is fun
Usually. Except for those days when nothing seems to work and my fingers feel like they are moving through mud. Writing can become painful work. Sometimes my brain hurts. Sometimes I need to take a nap. But! Other times writing IS fun. On those days, my fingers can't move fast enough to get the story down. The charcters are all talking and doing important stuff and really living. And creating stories is a blast.
5) The characters are all me
Not completely. But my characters are usually people that I want to get to know better. They have a flaw or two that I see in myself. I put them in dangerous positions and wait to see how they get out. I learn from them. I cheer for them, cry with them and fall in love beside them. When the book is done, I miss my characters. Is that weird? I don't think so. An author has to get under her character's skin to make them believable beings. Okay, maybe it's weird. But it is one of the main reasons why I love my job.
4) I get to be the boss
Sort of. Sure, I create the world, the people, the life-or-death-problems, but do I get to be in charge? Not really. Once I set my characters in motion, they tend to have lives of their own. This is one of my favorite parts of my job. Watching my creations come alive. Letting them live the story, instead of me bossing them around.
3) A few hours each day is all I need to write a book
This is partially true. I usually type two to four hours a day. But the typing is only part of the job. Writing is more than putting words on a page. There's research, reading, and most importantly THINKING. I won't start writing any story unless I have the plot points in my mind, have sketched out who my characters are and can "see" the setting.
2) Two months is all I need to write a book and then it's party time!
Snort. I can write a first draft in two months. Seriously, it's possible. But that's only the first draft. For me, the real work begins at the editing stage. And this stage can take up to a year.
1) It's Pure Bliss
For me. I can't not write. It's in my bone marrow, or genes, or hair folicals, or something. I am a writer who works every day except Sundays. I think, dream and read about writing. Don't talking to me about writing unless you want a passionate discussion. Creating a new story is amazing. Talking to fans is awesome. Geting to do what I love? Priceless.
Kimberley Troutte
www.kimberleytroutte.com
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