Hello!

I have been a lurker for a while, and I am excited to finally contribute. I love this forum and think there is a ton of great information!

I have a BA in Writing, and I worked in journalism (mostly during college) for a few years before landing a job in retail management. In school I also served as Editor-in-Chief of the school paper.

In what was probably one of the best moments of my life, I was able to quit my job this past December to write full-time thanks to my super supportive husband.

I write fiction and am currently working on a YA/fantasy novel, though I do short stories, too. I have written a four other first drafts of novels, the first of which is a terrible mess, and the other three may be salvageable one day, but I am grateful for the lessons I learned in writing each of them. I have had one short story published in a small journal, and I was selected to present another at a convention.

I wanted to join this community because I feel like I can give something back with my editing experience, and I always love a good literary discussion. My current goal is to finish the first draft of my current WIP by mid-February, and to edit it for submission. After that, I have ideas for a few more novel projects, though I might polish one of my older manuscripts.

Building a writer community for myself is another goal of mine for this year. The area I live in has very little in terms of writing groups. I don't have a very strong support network (other than my husband), and I have recently struggled with friends I thought would be supportive criticizing my recent career decisions. It's been a challenge, so I decided I needed to find writers who would understand, aka, you guys.

I am really looking forward to getting to know you all and contributing as a writing buddy, critique partner/beta, and as a contributor. I have read the newbie stickies, and I think I'm ready to go!

Shaba, thanks for sharing, and wow, a med career! It's definitely tough a lot of days. I think the crazy looks are some of the hardest things. I too was on track to make a very good life for myself, as I was on a fast track promotion path to corporate executive positions. I was already making good pay, and I was set to make a lot more, and getting people to understand that it has never been about money has been difficult.

The one thing that I have been starting to realize, though, is that the only people that matter are the ones who are supportive. My husband has never questioned me about writing, because he knows it is the only thing that will make me happy. Quitting my job did cut our income significantly, and we moved to a much smaller apartment to do it. He has never doubted that it was the right move, and he actually convinced me to do it. If it wasn't for his support, I probably would never have left my old job, no matter how unhappy I was.

People ignore me, too, when I talk about writing. My most recent skeptic was a long-time friend that I was sure would be supportive. I would love to see her face if I did the same thing to her and changed the subject whenever she brought up her career.

The way I see things, and I bet you see it the same, is that if I could walk away from a long-term, high-paying career in which I was doing very well to follow my dream, I know that I am doing the right thing. People that don't understand that aren't worth my time.

grayworld said:

I wish you all the best. "Professional Writer" has to be the most satisfying phrase to write on a tax form.

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I agree. Thanks for the support!