Just What the Doctor Ordered

As much as I wish it was otherwise, I have a day job. I’m not a full time writer. Until I eventually become a best-selling author and/or a household name, I have to work Monday through Friday doing the eight to five thing.

Right now, that means I do most of my best writing on the weekends. While I do write on occasion during the week, I have to be careful that I don’t end up burning the midnight oil and burn myself out. I also have to make sure I don’t ignore my family entirely. As it is, I’m pretty much a ghost on the weekends.

While this works, I don’t get to write as much as I’d like. I would love to be able to stay home during the week and write while the kids were at school and my hubby was at work. I could stop at my leisure or just keep writing and not worry. I could also be more productive, getting both my writing and editing done at a quicker pace. That of course means getting more books out sooner.

Last week, I got the chance to live out this idea. I took a few days off the day job and spent a good deal of them working on my latest novel and let me tell you something. It was everything I thought it could be and more. You’re not going to believe this, but I finished the first draft of the novel that I was only six chapters into when I started this little venture.

Not only did I finish the first draft of my latest novel, but I had a great time. I wrote at my pace. I stopped when I wanted. I didn’t have distractions and I wasn’t tired. My story didn’t feel like it was being forced. Instead, it flowed so freely that the days passed quicker than I was ready for.

After having such a good time writing, and getting a taste of how it would be if I could parlay it into a full time gig, it was difficult to go back to the day job yesterday. I found myself thinking about writing and wondering how soon I’d be able to schedule another block of vacation time to do this again. The one comfort I took while going through my double digit emails was that I was only working three days this week so the weekend would be on me that much sooner.

I’m not going to lie. I would love to be a full time writer. In fact, the other day, I was a little incensed when I mentioned to someone that I hated to go back to work and he said at least now I knew what it was like to be a professional writer. I am a professional writer. I’m published. I just don’t have the luxury of selling enough novels to be a full time writer.

Whether I ever get the opportunity to write full time or not, I can tell you one thing. I enjoyed the opportunity. It was just what the doctor ordered. In fact, I need to see about getting another prescription stat!