Thank you, Commentariat, for your kind support and wisdom yesterday.
I didn’t get a chance to reply in comments because the Wandering Monk was here all day enlarging the attic hatch. After writing yesterday’s post I was on minion duty. Even when not hauling construction rubble to the backyard or perching above the hatch waiting to receive and nail down the new folding ladder I was distracted, covered with ceiling crud, grubby, and not sitting quietly at the computer.
With hatch completed, I have the lovely task of schlepping stored stuff from the bedroom-to-be into the attic. Which will enable the Monk and me (but mostly the Monk) to gut the future bedroom and repair its sinking and beetle-eaten foundation this spring. The Last Big, Scary Project. Hardly the last project. But the last scary one. The last one correcting the structural deficiencies of the house.
But I read and I appreciated (once again) your goodness.
Now … what’s next?
Well, I’m not going to take on any more writing work. Of any kind. And I’m not going to focus on earning money for the writing I already do. If money comes my way, nifty zorch. Money: good! If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
If it doesn’t, I’ll find some different way to bring it in. But not by writing.
For now, I’m done with that phase of my life. Feels odd because my profession has always been my identity. It’s not only that saying “I’m a writer” is kinda cool. (Though it is.) It’s that … I’m a writer. And when you’re a writer, you’re a writer down to your bones. It’s not like being a clerk or construction flagger. It’s more like being a nun. It’s passion and vocation and avocation and identity.
I still write. Of course. Always will. You may have noticed that after saying I’d probably be blogging less I’m posting twice already before 8:00 a.m. I’m just not A Writer. In that sense. Right now. (So, you know, OMG, what the heck AM I???)
Yesterday I was too tired to think much about that. Today I woke up, thought about blogging, and realized nothing was actually different. Except inside my head.
But then, that’s where it really counts, isn’t it?
While doing nothing different, outwardly, I’ve embarked on An Adventure.
Glad to have you traveling with me.
Didn’t know it was possible, but I like this new Claire even more. 🙂
“While doing nothing different, outwardly, I’ve embarked on An Adventure.
Glad to have you traveling with me.”
Can’t wait to see where we’re going!
“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.”
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
“From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;”
🙂
FishOrMan — Awwwwwwwww. It’s the same old me. But I’ve just broken through a barrier and it’s truly en-light-ening.
And Pat — ME TOO!
Claire, I am fascinated by this transition.
You are freeing yourself…how appropriate.
Interesting turn.
Sorry for the deflection, but does anyone sense the possibility that Amazon is trying to weaken the free blog press?
Thank you, Ron. I’ve found that getting free is a process, with ends and means being one in the same. In my case a long, slow process with frequent backsliding. I’ve taken leaps before, sometimes with great results, sometimes failing.
I have found that “practicality” and “security” are my personal causes for most backsliding/failures. This may not be true of everybody, but it has been for me. And of course practicality and security along with “being sensible” aren’t bad things. Good things! Just not at all times or in all circumstances. And not for me, right now.
Hm. I hadn’t thought about that, R.L.
I doubt their motives are that ulterior. I assume they just need cash to compete with outfits like Walmart/Jet. Blogs are probably a small part of the Amazon Associates universe; many Amazon affiliates are commercial sites designed to earn money by driving hundreds of thousands of dollars per month to Amazon. Many of those Associates will actually be losing $10k a month or more, where most blogger Associates are looking at hits of a few hundred, which for many bloggers was just a happy bonus and not essential.
Whatever Amazon’s motives, it’s sad. Not sad that they’ve done this, per se; everybody understands it’s a business decision and so be it. But it sad because Associates MADE Amazon. We’re the ones, big and small, who helped create the “need something? check Amazon” habit that made Amazon dominant. The way they handled the decimation of the Associates program was clearly a giant EFF-YOU to people who helped build the company.
As with so many “business decisions” sometimes (not always) but sometimes the bad ones can come back to haunt you!
The big question concerning the future with Amazon and many other businesses like them is who is making the business decisions; the bean counters or the risk takers that built it or even a blend of the two.
I have seen time and time again where the bean counters will drive a business into the ground, counting their beans and not creating new beans and the risk takers have to come back to rule or the businesses are either sold off or fades into the dustbin of history.
It does appear with Amazon that for them to achieve their goals their business plan is to put most everyone else out of business now this is just about every business plan in a way but most businesses are mainly in competition with a niche however with Amazon it is just about EVERYONE in any sort of retail who they are trying to compete with, but when it comes to final decisions without government mandates of course, the consumers will have that final say methinks.
Except for helping Claire I try not to support Amazon but they do make it hard not to.
I agree with Pat – can’t wait to see where we’re going!
I completely understand the need to take a break. But I can’t imagine you not being a Writer for very long. You write so well, and make it seem so effortless (I know it’s not, but isn’t that one hallmark of a great writer?), that sooner or later it will find new expression. I’ll bet you have another book or three inside you. We’ll all be waiting!
Good luck with whatever you decide!
I just remembered. In case you don’t already know about it, Richard Nelson Belles, a minister, wrote a book titled What Color is Your Parachute? https://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2017/dp/039957820X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1488473985&sr=1-1&keywords=what+color+is+your+parachute+2017. He was counseling people about career changes and realized there wasn’t a systematic way of going about it, so he wrote a book. One of the suggestions he made was to write your life history, making a list of things you liked and things you didn’t at each stage. He said often patterns will emerge that you weren’t aware of. It’s an excellent book that has stood the test of time.
Thanks, Shel. I read Bolles’ book many years ago and have recommended it to others. It used to be updated every year. Hm. Seems it still is.
It’s definitely a worthwhile book. I don’t need it now, though. I already have something in mind that I want to do; I just don’t know if I can do it. And if I need to earn money while I’m working on it, I’d prefer to get a brain-dead job, not take on a new career.
I think amazon is blowing it.They got very large,then started getting very dictatorial.And that just wont fly when you have options.Amazon and their game playing with shipping totally alienated me,like 2 weeks for a package that came from 20 miles away??? I just made several orders on ebay,free shipping on all,and already have half my order in three days,and NO GAMES.
People are going to wise up that amazon arent the nicest folks by a long shot,and shop elsewhere.