Writing

One of the fallouts of visiting Portland is an inevitable surge of creative energy and “I don’ wanna work, I just wanna bang on me drums all day” attitude. See, my friend Elizabeth has been a professional Irish harp and folk musician for her entire career. Much as I’ve been a professional writer. Unlike me, however, Elizabeth doesn’t spend much time in cubicles; she lives a life of gigs and jigs (haha– see what I did there?), recordings, events, street performances… in short, Elizabeth is a freelancer, and very successful. She’s a freelancer in the one industry that Marion Zimmer Bradley used to call “even harder to break into than writing.”

It’s not envy you hear in my tone. It’s admiration. I’m constantly impressed by her industriousness and her success. OK, I’m envious of it, too– every time I visit her, I think “man, I wish I were this successful at my fiction writing….”

Elizabeth puts in the work, which is the thing I don’t really do as well as I ought to. This may be because I’m tapping the well every day in my day-job. Or it could be a simple matter of personality– maybe Elizabeth is simply the kind of person for whom this lifestyle fits perfectly.

Whatever the case, she inspires me. And, of course, NaNoWriMo is only 2 months away. I skipped it last year, but this year, I am going to write something. In fact, this year, I’m going to write and finish something. Maybe not the same something, but I have to get moving on this. In a couple of years, I think we’ll be financially set to go back on the road, and I want to be ready for my freelancing to help support us the way my employment has.

1 thought on “Writing

  1. Hey Stephanie,

    Funny this…the admiration is entirely mutual: I’ve been totally inspired with how stunningly you’ve followed through on the wild ideas you’ve had over the years — both the comic book and the full-time travel thing are examples of how effectively you put your life where your day dreams are. As for me, I for years have been frustrated with myself for sticking to traditional music rather than doing more original stuff. I guess the point is, being artistically inclined generally means living with some sense of dissatisfaction. But, it’s probably better than the alternative. I hope.

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