Covid changed my life. It pushed me out of my comfort zone. It made me get real. I didn't make enough money for lattes for two years. My husband lost 1/3 of his income. We scraped along on. Credit cards became a thing again. We were broke. Again. Drastic measures were called for.
I have been a freelance writer for over twenty years. I have written about 50 books for kids. I love writing books for kids. I love it down to my bones, and I'm good at it. Here's the deal for children's authors. It's sucky--no health insurance, sick days, no retirement, or reliable month-to-month income, and when there is income, it is a pittance. After 20 odd years, it is somewhat clear that I can't make enough money as a writer to face a pandemic followed by inflation. I got a job. I work for the International Ocean Discovery Program as a production editor now. I know a lot about tables. It's a whole art form. I think about accessibility (a lot).
During my Covid years, I wrote the best book ever. I'm proud of it, but guess what? It's been out thirty times, and no one has ever wanted to look at it. It didn't hit readers like WOW! It hit me like that, though. So this is the time in my life when I say I am proud of myself. I am proud of my hard work. I am proud of my willingness to pivot, try new things, reinvent myself, and launch into the great unknown. I'm still squeezing in a bit of writing here and there. Who knows what will fly out of this imagination?
I hope that you celebrate your amazingness this week and do what you love. And if you can't right now, I hope you stop kicking yourself. You are paying the bills—or you are trying. This makes you the hero of your own story.
A quote for your pocket:
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
