Opportunity Knocks

Or at least, that's how my lovely and talented wife and I intend to look at it. And by "it" I mean the fact that I got laid off this week from my employer of fifteen years. We took a trip to the coast this weekend and talked about the situation both on the drive here and after.

In the last month I've been motivated again to write. I've written and mailed off two stories so far, and intend to write more. I also think it's time to (gulp) take a stab a novel. Or two. or five or ten, eventually. I credit a lot of my recently renewed interest to reading Dean Wesley Smith's blog posts about writing professionally. And I had already signed up for a weekend workshop with him (and his wife) for September.

But what does that have to do with my getting laid off? Simply that I have a lot more free time now. Time that could be spent writing. And also researching markets and learning how to improve my writing, and mailing stories off, and all the other things that working at being a
professional writer requires. But mainly writing.

I got a pretty good severance package. With care, it'll last for months. I'll be applying for unemployment this week--I paid into the system for years and years, after all. Someone at my wife's office has already mentioned a possible opportunity for me to do some contract database work with a number of small non-profits. That would be right up my alley, seeing as much of my work over the last 15 years involved working with a couple of different database programs, as well as Excel and Access. I'll have to learn the ins and outs of contract work, but it's a possibility. I can also look into the possibility of part-time work, or temp work--which I did for years before taking the job I just lost lo these many years ago.

All of which means (deep breath) I am not going to immediately go out and start trying to find another full-time office job. I will start looking into these other options, and perhaps more as they occur to me or are suggested to me. And I will write.

I will write.
I will finish what I write.
I will not edit except to editorial demand.
I will send my work to someone who can pay me for it.
I will continue to send out my work until it sells.

(If you recognize Robert Heinlein's rules for writers, give yourself a gold star.)

This is a big, scary step. Neither my lovely and talented wife nor I are fans of change. We like stability and predictability. Even good change can be scary. Left to our own devices, I never would have quit my job to do this. But I wasn't left to my own devices. I have had this opportunity thrust upon me. So we discussed it, and concluded that this was an opportunity that--however we arrived at it--should be pursued.

The idea of immediately going out and pounding the pavement in search of another full-time office job fills me with dread (especially in the current economy). The idea of working part-time, either doing contract work or doing a regular but only part-time job, while leaving me more free time to write makes me happy. It excites me.

It also scares the hell out of me. But that's no reason not to try it. If, eventually, we look at our finances and conclude that I need to get a full-time job again, that's what I'll do. But if we can make this work, all the better. I've read many times that being a successful professional writer has way more to do with determination and discipline than talent. I like to think I have the latter; but whether that's true or not, I guess it's time to develop the former two traits.

Did I mention that this scares the hell out of me at the same time that it excites me? Yeah? Okay. Just checking.