I am at a transition point in my day job. The job that pays the bills. The job that supports me, personally, and my goal of writing full time some day. The clinic is restructuring and I've been given an opportunity to have a much bigger role. It's a very exciting time as we take these steps to be stronger. (I realize I'm being vague about what I do, it's in the medical field, and while not top secret, I go out of my way to keep that part of my life separate from the writing side in order to protect the privacy of everyone.)
So, anyway. Transitions. They're happening. And it's great.
But yesterday I had a meeting with one of the consultants and she asked me about my writing. Not because she was curious, but because she wanted to make sure that if she was going to be training me for this new job, that I wasn't going to up and quit to become a full time writer anytime soon.
At first her words of, "This is a career, not a job. You can't do both." threw me for a loop. I pressed her a bit to get to the root of what she's saying and came to find out that she knows a man, a lawyer, who always wanted to write a book. But he couldn't, because he didn't have the time. It's a familiar story, right? We all lament about what we could do if we didn't have to work or had those extra hours in the day.
She went on to identify with people like EL James and JK Rowling, how that's a fabulous goal and dream to have as a writer, to be that successful. But those women were full time writers. I hesitated to say (mostly because I don't know the status of those two particular authors when they first penned their books) that most writers also have full time jobs. That most writers, at least the ones I know, have solid careers outside of the world of writing.
Instead I laughed with her, conceding her point that those two women do write full time, and assured her I'm not going to be quitting my job anytime soon and that I'm more than prepared to take on the challenge of this new position at the day job.
After our meeting I was rolling around what she'd said, trying to figure out the meaning of it all and I realized she was cautioning me. Not on being a writer or how I spend my outside of work hours. But on expectations. What she saw with the other person she knows who has always wanted to be a writer is that he expected to be able to pen a novel, sell it, have it land on the NYT best seller list and he'd be a millionaire. Ta da! And, I can't really fault her for that because I know writers who have had those exact expectations. Maybe not realistically, but it's the dream.
What she was after, and what I'm realizing in myself, is that I'm rooted solidly on the ground, in the now. That I recognize both my day job and my writing career as businesses. Generally speaking, businesses are slow to grow. Live in the moment while you dream your dream. Certainly don't give up your dreams, but work them. Make them work for you.
But most of all, manage your expectations. And by doing that people will take you seriously in all aspects of your life.
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