A Writer's Frustration
I'm not sure what is flattening my Pepsi the most...not knowing what to write about, having a hard time looking for gigs in my field, or just starting all over together.
Bouncing between the pages of Writer with a Day Job and Get a Freelance Life, one would think that there would be more than enough to update on a blog. However, I draw an inconvenient blank because it's hard to shake off the feeling of an angry journalist. My unofficial twin and I spent the majority of the weekend talking about how annoying, upset, and disappointed we have been because we're both literary and lyrical artists (now that I think about it, our Avant-garde Conformist needs an overdue update) and we do everything else but write.
Writing is like breathing to us, we do it because we need to. He, my bestie Marcus, is an NYU grad student following his dream in musical theater arts and making things happen and I'm a writer with a day job, hence why I bought the book. I've met other people whose passion lies in accounting, finance, nursing, teaching, science, music, producing, and art. What do we all have in common? Like most undergrads who have finished school, we have jobs outside of our fields.
The only reason why I won't say how many full-time writing jobs I have applied for is because I have lost count. The newspaper business has been in trouble because like magazines, everyone is reading stuff online on their computers, laptops, smartphones, iPads, Kindles, and other beautiful tablets. There is no doubt in my mind that Neil Postman would be flipping tables about this.
Back to the topic, many writing and publishing companies will take unpaid interns any day of the week. But what about those who have five years experience under their belts as a reporter/editor/producer/creative writer and thinker? What about the ones who have been searching, emailing, networking, cold-calling, and freelancing themselves half to death and sometimes things don't happen...? Well, at least we're still alive.
While my mind wants to redirect itself to the school loans, I bring myself back to the ignorant human being that I am (don't worry; there are about seven billion more of us) and give myself both the authority and permission to keep pushing on. Because I have and had worked other jobs besides the journalist and writer dream I desire, I constantly have ideas for stories and articles and still get to experiment with old and new skills.
So I can't write full-time like I want to; I'm still working. With unemployment being so officially unpredictable, I really can't complain. I'm blessed to still be able to pay my rent (and hopefully my school loans), groceries, other responsibilities, and still do me. I'm don't plan on putting my pen down anytime soon unless I'm about to make my grits...which reminds me, what's for dinner?
Bouncing between the pages of Writer with a Day Job and Get a Freelance Life, one would think that there would be more than enough to update on a blog. However, I draw an inconvenient blank because it's hard to shake off the feeling of an angry journalist. My unofficial twin and I spent the majority of the weekend talking about how annoying, upset, and disappointed we have been because we're both literary and lyrical artists (now that I think about it, our Avant-garde Conformist needs an overdue update) and we do everything else but write.
Writing is like breathing to us, we do it because we need to. He, my bestie Marcus, is an NYU grad student following his dream in musical theater arts and making things happen and I'm a writer with a day job, hence why I bought the book. I've met other people whose passion lies in accounting, finance, nursing, teaching, science, music, producing, and art. What do we all have in common? Like most undergrads who have finished school, we have jobs outside of our fields.
The only reason why I won't say how many full-time writing jobs I have applied for is because I have lost count. The newspaper business has been in trouble because like magazines, everyone is reading stuff online on their computers, laptops, smartphones, iPads, Kindles, and other beautiful tablets. There is no doubt in my mind that Neil Postman would be flipping tables about this.
Back to the topic, many writing and publishing companies will take unpaid interns any day of the week. But what about those who have five years experience under their belts as a reporter/editor/producer/creative writer and thinker? What about the ones who have been searching, emailing, networking, cold-calling, and freelancing themselves half to death and sometimes things don't happen...? Well, at least we're still alive.
While my mind wants to redirect itself to the school loans, I bring myself back to the ignorant human being that I am (don't worry; there are about seven billion more of us) and give myself both the authority and permission to keep pushing on. Because I have and had worked other jobs besides the journalist and writer dream I desire, I constantly have ideas for stories and articles and still get to experiment with old and new skills.
So I can't write full-time like I want to; I'm still working. With unemployment being so officially unpredictable, I really can't complain. I'm blessed to still be able to pay my rent (and hopefully my school loans), groceries, other responsibilities, and still do me. I'm don't plan on putting my pen down anytime soon unless I'm about to make my grits...which reminds me, what's for dinner?
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| Photo courtesy of Life Takes Lemons. |
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