Lights of my life, banes of my existence: my Kindle and my pillow.
This is a confession, a self-imposed intervention, and an outright plea for advice, all rolled into one (because I’m too lazy to do them individually). I’ve been self-employed (read: jobless) for three weeks, now, and my SELF is not doing nearly enough EMPLOYING of my time in a productive (read: money-earning) manner.
Although I have managed to accomplish a little writing, a little work for Washington Romance Writers, and a little editing that I’m doing for a friend, I have yet to achieve a big “Done.” Rather, I feel like I’m racking up “half-dones,” and not progressing in a substantial way towards my goals.
There are a million stories along the road, but I have yet to write them.
When left to my own devices, I am lazier than a sloth in a shady tree on a hot day. My two favorite things to do at the moment are: 1) lie in bed and read, and 2) drive around the countryside with an iced coffee, looking at the pretty scenery and listening to audiobooks (or music, or the beating of my own heart, or the voices in my head – whatever fits the mood of the day). Both of these are worthwhile activities (or so I keep telling myself!) but neither of them will get books written, boxes unpacked, or prevent my muscles from atrophying.
The most frustrating part of all this is that I know how fortunate I am to have this time and space in which to create a new kind of life for myself. I don’t want to waste it.
Any advice for me? Will I have to go back to working a day job to feel like I’m accomplishing something, or can I actually do this full-time writing thing successfully?