I took the towel not thrown in

towels

And, that has made all the difference.

I am a writer. You should know that by now.

I am also an actor, a producer, a husband, a father, a pet owner, a state employee, an artist and…

Well, you get the picture. And no, those are not in any order of importance.

The recurring theme, if there is one, is that the year didn’t get off to the fresh start that I wanted and that I usually expect. Not to worry, His mercies are new every morning. Look up the reference. It will do you good.

At the end of last year I developed an aggressive writing plan. It involved a color coded chart, multiple projects and an end date for when I’d become a full-time freelance writer and be able to retire from the day job. It’s a very pretty chart.

My plan began in earnest when, one day last summer, I finally decided that I’d had enough and that this was it. It was time to move to the career I thought I’d always wanted.

So, I began a little writing project and told myself that over the course of the year I would write a book outlining exactly how I transformed from a part-time to full-time writer and left my full-time, government job behind.

I committed to write 500 words a day and in late fall changed that to 1,000 words a day.

The working title of my book?

“How I Wrote My Ass Out of Hell.”

I am not making this up.

Let’s just leave the commentary on the day job aside and suffice it to say that some days are better than others.

Some.

I digress.

The plan was to develop multiple blog outlets, finish the novel, and expand my client base.

It was a good plan.

And I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for those meddling kids.

That’s not entirely true. But it is true that there was a realization that I’m just not in a position to retire yet, at least not without a viable replacement income. And I’m just not making that in the writing world.

Yet.

So, I went through a couple of weeks earlier this year asking myself why I’m doing this? I mean, shouldn’t I concentrate on the acting and the producing and set the writing aside?

I told myself I could continue to work on the novel(s) and the script that I’m writing (oh yeah, I added that since last time), and that the other writing could be put on a shelf.

Whilst I was thinking that I was in the midst of a writing assignment that just sort of made my brain hurt. I get those sometimes. That’s when I remind myself that writing is hard work. And I realize that, were I indeed to make that leap, I’d be working a lot harder.

But, I didn’t give up. I persevered and got the assignments done. And, today I’m meeting with a potential new client.

I didn’t quit writing. And, I’m not going to.

It’s work. But, it’s what I do. It’s who I am.

Will my goal of becoming a full-time writer need a few more edits and rewrites?

Sure. It’s a big step. I just need to make sure there’s solid ground there when I step off the curb.

The point is that I’m still heading in the write…so to speak…direction. I’ll get there. Maybe not as quickly as I’d hoped (darn that Powerball) but I’ll get there.

As for those meddling kids…the younger turns sixteen today. That’s a whole new world of talking about driving and college plans. He got off to a bit of a rocky start. You can read about that here when I talk about his twelfth birthday.

I’ll keep writing. In the meantime, look for me on stage here…

The Dining Room
Huguenot Community Players
February 19 – March 6, 2016

Starlet Knight’s Cabaret
Jesus and Me: He’s the Tall One
Firehouse Theatre
Sunday, February 28th, 7:00 p.m.

I Ought to Be in Pictures
Jewish Family Theatre
March 30 – April 10, 2016

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I took the towel not thrown in

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