A few thoughts on juggling my many lives at the same time.
I hate that I wrote that nice big post about it being May and using that classic ramen noodle head’s pic for a joke that’s been overdone a bajillion times, talking about how I have some cool posts in the works (still do), and then crickets.
LITERAL. CRICKETS.
For that, I apologize. As always with me, you have to take the long way to get to your destination, so like any good recipe blog that feeds the screen with a ton of information you don’t give a rats about, followed by five minutes of scrolling to then finally get to the ingredients, let me tell you a bit about what’s been going on:
- I got a new job.
I wasn’t expecting it [necessarily], but I am now a Supervisor of a really awesome department. I won’t go into a ton of detail, suffice it to say that I’m learning a new job while also learning management and supervising skills. There are a lot of meetings and a lot to learn, but every day is something new and it’s thrilling.
- The puppy had to have surgery
Mr. Jones has had a tough go of things. Aside from being rescued 4 years ago from a terrible environment, he tore his version of ACL in his left leg a few years ago, and as it turns out if one goes, so goes the other in about 2 years’ time.
Well, he was runnin round the yard when he slipped on the wet grass, twisted his knee and somehow tore TWO ligaments on the right side, so he had to have some surgery done. That was two weeks ago today, and the staples are finally coming out. I dragged two twin beds from upstairs to the main level (no stairs for at least 6 weeks for lil fella) and I’ll tell you what, not one good night of sleep has been had for either of us in the last two weeks. Least was 30 minutes, most has been about 5. So I can relate JUST A TEENY BIT BETTER to parents now.
- I joined a 30-day writing course.
This one kind of came out of nowhere for me, but I’ve been watching Chris Fox for a minute and his career mimics a lot of my own goals and aspirations in my 5-year plan. The class itself is based around Chris’ popular “5,000 Words Per Hour” book and each day is a different module that sets you up for success.
Since I’m between two books at this time, I’m EDITING at 5,000 words per hour and not necessarily playing the movie in my head and typing. Still, it’s proven to be quite useful.
The best part of the class so far is forcing me to stay on top of my writing goals, specifically with the edit of my science fiction novel which is still on track, but at any moment, could fall to the wayside.
But I’ve still got goals, folks. I started working on something called an Author Production Plan, which shows I’m on track to have my first novel (the one above) drop before the year ends. I suppose that really depends on what my beta readers think and my ability to find an awesome editor and cover artist before 2022 becomes a reality…But if not, hey I’m easy. I’m happy to adjust.
BUT STILL BUT STILL,
This is article is about the both/and. What does that mean?
Well to put it simply, it’s the mindset that yes, I can BOTH pursue a strong career AND go after my goals/dreams of being a working writer.
I’m positive that there are quite a few folks in this boat with me. I constantly see questions on r/screenwriting and r/writing about what jobs people can take where they can pretty much clock in and out and spend the whole time writing.
It doesn’t have to just be that way. I’m talking to them and myself because I hope to also be a proof of concept to this idea. Only time will tell I suppose.
Luckily, there’s been a lot written about famous writers who worked and pursued their goals. I talked to one SXSW winning director who told me when he’s not filming, he’s shooting forklift instructional videos and other company modules.
Rather than dive into that, I’d recommend instead reading this awesome article my brother sent me from the artofmanliness:
The 5 Principles of Moonlighting Success (With Case Studies From Famous Men)
Good Lord, Anthony Trollope. Just…Wow.
To that end, I’ve forced myself to develop a system that ensures I stay on target with hitting the goals I want to hit. In order to get this novel edited by July 1, I’ve created an alter ego:
THE STOPWATCH WRITER.
As I always say on here, more on this in another post as I continue to refine the process. Suffice it to say, I make sure I get my time in and it requires a little yellow stopwatch I’ve had since my marathon training days.
This is where the both/and comes in. I’m both fully working mon-fri (and on-call a number of times in the year), but when I clock out for the night, I get my stopwatch and I MAKEDAMNSURE I get in enough time to hit my number goal.
So can one climb the so-called corporate ladder and pursue their dreams? I believe so. Here’s my 9th-grade hypothesis structure for this experiment:
If I use a stopwatch to monitor my butt in chair time, then I’ll be able to stay on track with my writing goals.
I’ll follow up on this in future posts, but that’s what I’m going with.
Again, I have about 10 awesome posts in various stages of development and I promise to have a really worthwhile post in June.
Have a terrific day,
~Nic
