A Career Change

I need to make a career change. The problem is, what is my career now, and where do I want to take it?  The answers to both questions, unfortunately, are complex.

While I would like to say that I am a writer/publicist as it is noted on my email signature, when it is considered a career, it's not exactly correct. I do some writing and promotion for various clients on an inconsistent basis, yet I also work in several other industries including accounting for an interior designer, computer consulting for a realtor and weekly scanning of UPCs for a market research company.

The household duties of being a mother and wife also put me into an experience level of time management, chauffeur, chef, laundress,  volunteer director, teacher, housekeeping, accounting again with home bills, shopping expert (getting the best deals), dietitian and medical advisor.

Where I want to take it is going to depend on my goal for a career, and that too is unclear. Do I want to enjoy what I do with all my soul or do I want to make money? Can I do my career part time so that I can fulfill my first and ultimate goal first - to be an awesome wife and mother?

I DO want to be a full time writer/publicist but the work has to meet the needs of family income, and sometimes it is just not enough to earn a few hundred dollars a month doing it. The other problem is writing on a project that I enjoy, but that makes money. I have at least three book ideas but making the time to sit down and write while not earning anything seems to get crowded out in the other tasks I am trying to accomplish in my current job status and the family obligations.

I have come to the realization that to make a career change - to become a full time writer of newsworthy articles and eventually, and/or a book, I will need to apply myself to writing 200 words a day to develop my writing skills. After my children have graduated from high school with scholarships and left the home, with some of the above responsibilities removed, then I will be able to throw myself into the work of writing more than a half hour each day.

Time will make it happen for me, if only I wasn't so impatient for that career change.

200 Words a Day

It is recommended by journalists, novelists and other wordy people that to become and progress as a writer, it’s a good idea to write 200 words each day. It may not seem like much, but  1000-1400 words a week (whether you write five or seven days) is a nice length of an article or could be two or three blog posts. If you are writing a book, this is a nice progression to a 52,000 word book, or about 175 pages. Here are my reminder tips for myself and for you to get into writing practice and to build that blogsite or book.

1. Prepare yourself

If writing a blog with a theme, seek out ideas throughout the day and keep your list of ideas on a notepad for easy reference when you sit down to write. When compiling a book, map out the characters and plot in an outline format so that you can easily pick up and write about whatever you are in the mood to pursue.If you have been occupied prior to your write time, shake off the day with a 10-15 minute walk to clear your mind and gain new ideas.

2. Limit distraction

Clear your desk, don’t turn on any laundry, water or cooking timers. Put the phone away from view and dive in to your keyboard.

3. Plan to write

Children, spouses, friends, work, volunteerism and general life duties can certainly take priority over your writing. The best thing to do is to put at least 30 minutes a day on your calendar to write. Have a tentative writing time each day – some say 10 am is the best, but not likely for those who work and have an active family life. When that time is interrupted or cancelled because of daily events, be flexible about rescheduling. This can be a problem for those of us that intend to write before bed, but the exhaustion of the day steps in and the writing is put off.

One last tip, if you are a foodie like me, is don’t write hungry or thirsty. That gnawing at your stomach is a huge distraction, so prevent it with a snack or a big glass of water before you begin. Back to work on the blog and 200 words of a book for me – I hope this is helpful to you!