I usually don’t post too much of a personal nature on here. While obviously, this blog is in my own “voice” and there’s a lot of “me” in my writings (as with any author), for professional reasons, I do like to maintain some distance between day job-me and smut writing-me. And it’s that day job that has been keeping me away from the blogging lately.
Once upon a time, I was a teacher. (I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned that here or not before; if not, now you know!) As I did not teach one of the “core” subjects, it could be difficult to find work, but I always prevailed. Except for when I didn’t. I got laid off at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, as did my brand new then-fiance.
He eventually found another full-time job, but I did not. I did some substitute teaching whenever I could, but quite frankly, it sucked. The stress of unemployment plus planning a wedding took its toll on my health, both mental and physical. Something needed to change, because I wasn’t satisfied waiting around for the phone to ring to offer me jobs that didn’t exist.
We got married in July 2011. I went back to school in October of that year to start training for a brand-new career (that had NOTHING to do with the field of education) in the hopes that I would one day work full-time again and bring home a decent paycheck so we could be more comfortable. It’s not where I ever saw myself in that stage of life, but since when does everything work out the way it’s supposed to?
I finished my program in April of this year, interned for a bit, and now I’m finally at the point I’ve been looking forward to since June of 2010 – I’m working again! My hours are inconsistent, and I don’t always know what I’m walking into, but still…it feels good. Really good. However, now that I’m devoting a large chunk of my time to being back in the work force, that means there’s less time for other things.
It was during that period of unemployment and poor health that I rediscovered my love for writing. After having some fun with fanfic for a while, I started writing Searching the Skies soon after returning from my honeymoon, and started submitting it around the time I began school. I do try to see the silver linings in most situations, and having writing as a serious hobby (that sometimes even flings some cash my way) helped a lot.
Even with the increased workload, I’m still writing as much as I can. I know I’ve been slacking off a lot here with the blog (and the blogosphere in general; my apologies to the people who are used to seeing more comments from me!). As much fun as it is, when it comes down to writing fiction or writing here, the fiction is going to win most of the time. I’ve got some awesome stuff coming up in the next few months, and the list of stories I want to write never seems to get any shorter.
So even if I’m quiet here, rest assured that my writing persona is still alive and kicking. I do enjoy having a space where I can share any writing insights I’ve gleaned (or just run my mouth for extended periods of time, like in this post). I’d rather be busy than bored, and I’ve found that the more my mind is working, the easier it is for me to write a bit every day. Lucky us!