I was just paused on the corner, waiting for the light to change so I could bring my newly-purchased groceries home, when I ran through my To Do List, as I am wont, ahem, to do. Obsessively keeping a To Do List in my head is my best defense against spiraling into complete disorganization and chaos. In fact, when people ask me how I do it "all," (which, hey, let's be clear, I am not really doing, as I have neither a family nor a clean home), I usually say something about time management, but what I should really say is "Be obsessive." That's my main tip.
Anyway, I realized that half of my To Do List is stuff To Do with writing. This weekend, I need to review the proofs for the section of the GED Test Prep book I wrote, which have arrived from the publisher. I also need to do a second draft of an article for Visual Thesaurus, and do a bit more research on the Thoreau book so I can send some more information to my new agent (!!!) who is trying to place it with a publisher. And I'd like to get back to working on my novel, plus I really should look over one of my plays which is being read in New Jersey next month. I have quite a bit to do, in other words. And the thought occured to me: "Hey, I think writing really has become my second career."
For a long time, I thought of teaching as my primary career (which in terms of salary and time spent, it most certainly is, still) and that writing was something I did on the side. Not quite a glorified hobby, because I made enough from it and spent enough time on it, to give it more credit than that, but definitely not a fully-fledged career. I suspect 2012 is the year where my understanding of that fully changes, the year when I learn what it means to me to be fully emersed in the Writing Life.
I'm scared. But I also can't wait.
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