A new venture...

I have recently decided to take my writing in a new direction.

I will still be writing for the web, Suite101, Examiner and Demand Studios are paying the bills after-all.

However, I have always wanted to write a book. Granted my dream was always to write the next great fiction novel, but any book will suffice at this point. So, I have begun to write a non-fiction work about parrots.

In addition to my writing I also own and operate a parrot supply company. Because of my experience with parrots, their vets, breeders and owners, I have acquired a great deal of knowledge. The proverbial "they" always say to start your writing career by writing what you know, and I know parrots.

Re-united and it feels so good...

About two years ago, I signed up to be a writer for a site called Demand Studios.

At the time, I was pregnant, working full time and a full time college student, not exactly the best time to add content writing to my plate.

I had all but forgotten about the Demand Studios site until I returned to yet another old web friend, AbsoluteWrite.com. Many of the freelance writers on the forums at AbsoluteWrite make damn near a full time living writing for Demand Studios.

So, I have decided to return to Demand Studios and give it a go. So far, so good. I have claimed two articles, and one has already been approved. The writing is not terribly creative or interesting, but it pays, and I set my own hours.

Besides, I have been a journalist long enough that I know that most jobs in writing that pay are boring. You always have to write what someone else wants you to, unless you are one of the lucky few who can make a living selling your novels.

Taking care of ME

I have instituted a new policy for myself.

I am taking more time to do the things that make me happy, outside of my husband and son. Things that are just for me, like painting my nails, dying my hair and even going out once in a while.

My son is a year and a half old now, and he doesn't need me around as much. It is time I start letting the grandparents do their god given duty and baby-sit.

So, I have electric blue nails, a new hair cut and I managed to get out of the house several times in the past month. I went to Parx casino and did a bit of slot playing with some family, went out to dinner and then dancing with a friend and even managed to catch Avatar at the local Imax 3D theater.

The ultimate question is this...how has this renewed sense of self affected my writing?

I am pleased to report that, despite my new activities, productivity has gone up. I attribute this to my over-all sense of relaxation and wellbeing.

By giving myself permission to relax and enjoy life again I have become much happier and, in turn, I have been able to focus on my writing better.

Sometimes we forget that you can not write for the world unless you are a part of it!

Why write...

I have been thinking about why I choose to pursue writing as a career.

I love it.

Harvey MacKay, a business man and author, said “Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life.”

This is both true and false for me.

I love to write, I love to form words in to a cohesive story, taking complicated ideas and turning them in to an elegant sentence. However, it is very hard to make a good living as a writer.

Dare I say, it is just as hard to make a good living as a writer as it is to make a good living as a rock star?!?

Case in point...

Most every author that you meet will also have a "day job." Writing and publishing a book - or even several books - doesn't guarantee that you will make even a full year's salary from your efforts. We can't all be Stephen King or JK Rowling.

Just like we can't all be the Beatles.

There are many writers out there who support themselves, and their family, based solely on funds created through their writing. I am one of them. But, unlike what Mr. MacKay said, I work hard at it.

As part of my writing career, I write for websites like Suite101.com. This, like Mr. MacKay says, is hardly work. I get to pick and choose the topics that I write about on Suite101.com, I get to write about what I want to and what I am passionate about. The down side - Suite101.com doesn't exactly pay the bills.

So, I also hold down a "real job." Granted my day job is as a writer, but it's still work. I write and edit stories for Times Publishing, Inc. - also known as the Doylestown Observer and New Hope News. Here, I have a specific format and ideal that I must stick to. I must follow someone else's vision, write about what they want me to, and adhere to their time line.

It is in this daily grind that the once shiny allure of a writing career begins to lose its luster.

The dreams of a big novel deal seem very far away when you can't even find the time to check your email on most days.

Making the jump to psychology...

I have been an "amateur" counselor for most of my life. So, for those who know me well, my recent decision to pursue an advanced degree in psychology came as no real surprise.

For others, however, it seemed like a shock.

It appears that most people can't understand the connection between journalists and psychology degree holders. They seem to forget that everything that they have ever read about psychology, emotional development and even self help, were all WRITTEN.

In order to help people, you must first understand them, then you must be able to make them understand you. This is where the journalism background can come in handy.

As a journalist, you are routinely asked to take a complicated or cumbersome idea and translate it in to something that the public at large can understand.

Can you think of anything more complicated or cumbersome than psychological theory?

Corsets and boy shorts...

I was recently talking to some folks from my area in Lower Bucks County and they wanted to know why my friend and I are not cocktail waitresses at the newly constructed Parx Casino.
Both of us are shy (all be it just shy) of 30 years old and in fairly good shape. We could both easily "rock" the corset and boy shorts uniform.

So, that got my gears turning...why am I against taking that job. Some of the girls boast that they can bring home four digits a week...more than many college graduates with a "real" job make in a month.

For my friend, it is a matter of principle. She finds the skimpy outfits degrading and doesn't want her three daughters to see her resorting to provocative clothing in order to make a decent living.

She also believes that the amount of money she could potentially make as a cocktail waitress might tempt her to forsake her chosen profession, for which she is currently in completing her degree.

For me, well, I'm not really sure it is that cut and dry.

I would like to think that I am secure enough in my own self image that I do not identify myself with my profession. But on the other hand, I have worked very hard to be taken seriously as the intelligent and professional woman that I am.

I think that Christian Bale said it best in Batman Begins..."It is not who I am inside, but what I do that defines me."

As much as I don't want to believe that statement is true...it really is. No one looks at us any deeper than what is on the surface and that is what they base their snap judgments about us on.

We are only as we are perceived.

Back in action

The wait is over....

I am back online - with the idea that I will again update this blog on a regular basis.

Things have been hectic in my little world, but I am re-dedicating myself to my goals and one of those goals is to be my own and only boss in 2010.

Right now I am my own boss, but I also have another boss at my "real" job. The idea is to sustain myself on my writing and parrot toy businesses. This is of course a difficult task, compounded by the fact that I also have a family to support, but I think that I am up to the challenge.

I have already gotten the ball rolling toward a return to school to complete my BA in Psychology at Penn State, which is a personal victory in and of itself.

You might be thinking, "what does a BA in Psychology have to do with bird toys or writing?"

Well, you have to understand people in order to market to them, and, well, I just have a strong interest in the field of Psychology.