In 2020, I have taken a new approach to my goal to become a working author. Instead of learning to be a professional writer (self-improvement approach), like I’ve sought after over the last three years, I’m going to learn if being a writer is a possible next career or not.

Throughout 2017-2019, I worked hard on my writing, on my craft, and on my writer’s toolbox. I wrote one novel, start to finish. 127,562 words! I spent over a year outlining a second novel. I gathered resources and made writing templates and created a whole system for writing and planning novels. I studied character building, world building, outlining verse discovery writing, and on and on. And on and on.

I have the drive and persistence for it. Every day, I sit down and uncomfortably work on a piece of writing. Every day, I share something, anything, journaling, emails, letters, blogs. And although these are the keys to becoming a writer, (becoming anything), I still don’t know if this is my calling or not.

I know if I spend 2020 attempting the same things, I will begin 2021, first, not knowing if this is my calling, second, with nothing to share, and third, the biggest problem: not being able to leave it between because I’ve dedicated so much time with no tangible results.

So, how by the end of 2020, can I learn if this, this writing thing, is a career for me or not? My answer: experimentation, experimenting with what it’s like to be a writer by participating with others in the writing world.

Here’s a list of experiences I want in 2020:

  • What is it like to write something and share it with the world?
  • What is it like to work with a writing coach, or to work with an editor?
  • What is it like joining a writing group and seeing them once a week?
  • What is it like to work on deadlines?
  • What is it like to attend a writer’s conference?
  • What is it like to go through the whole process for publishing a book?

Already, I have begun to check these off and the possibilities have swung open. This blog is an extension of that.

Onward!