I wanted this. I know I did. I remember thinking that if I could earn a living writing and close my day care, I would have more freedom during the day. I could get out of the house. Be more flexible. Etc. But just now, at this moment, I feel akin to the people on that oatmeal commercial who are obsessed with their weight and chained to their scales. Only I’m dragging my computer around instead.
When I look back at older posts, I feel the little pieces of wisdom that my thus far brief experience has given me. I see that I was a little naive. A tad optimistic, maybe. Right now though, if I’m honest, I have to admit that writing for a living is hard. So hard. It can be all-consuming and frustrating.
My upcoming articles distract me from any enjoyment of reading, interfere with my word count goals for NaNoWriMo and give me a permanent “I’m thinking” scowl. Since I’m being honest, my legs hurt. I actually have a writing injury in my legs. I’ve never sat in one place so long. Ever. I can start at 8:00am and not get around to lunch, or even get around to getting up, until 2:00pm. The work is so involved that I lose track of the time. And the faster I try to go, the slower I become.
My shoulders hurt, my neck is stiff from looking down and I have a bruise between my pinky and my ring finger. Writing is tough work. My brain has to stay on overdrive. And I’ve gone from chasing preschoolers to sitting on my fanny, which means (you guessed it) weight gain.
Ugh. Argh. And Egads. I’m not sorry to be building a writer’s life. I am, however, anxious to move past this learning curve. I need time-saving tips. I need better paying gigs. I need a treadmill with a computer attached. And I need a good massuese.
the chronicles of a rookie writer 
May your labor pains bear the fruit of success.
I am writing a novel and finding that it’s never quite finished. I still work on it and haven’t decided to forget it yet, but I’ve come close. I’m not depending on writing for a living. I’m not even trying to sell short stories or writing of any kind. Perhaps my lack obsession will mean failure for my manuscript. Or, maybe I’ll finally have a finished MS and market it. I hope.
I think you have a very unique style of writing and I like it. Don’t give up but let yourself rest when necessary. When your breakthrough happens, you’ll be ready for it. Blessings to you…
Best of luck to you with your novel writing. I’ve started one myself, but am having trouble finding time to work on it. I think manuscripts are probably a lot like research papers in that they never seem quite finished to the author.
And thanks for the encouragement. I’ve enjoyed a nice break this weekend. I’ll find the right mix eventually. I hope.
Have a great week . . .