Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone in the US. Happy weekend, and happy end of summer, to everyone else.
Thinking about Labor Day led me to realize that it’s ten years since I decided to quit the day job and write fiction full time.
I left paid employment at the end of 2011.
I published my first novel, The Seeds of Power, in December 2019.
I never thought writing fiction would be so hard, that I’d have so much to learn, or that it would take me so long to get my first book published.
I’ve never worked so hard, earned so little, or had so much fun.
I love it. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Best work decision I ever made.
What’s the best work decision you ever made?
Eight Ladies Writing 
Taking Jenny Crusie’s course at McDaniel has to rank right up there, in part because it led me to meet the rest of you Ladies.
I couldn’t agree more. McDaniel’s timing was perfect for me, and Jenny Crusie the ideal teacher, but it wouldn’t have been the same without the Ladies.
I know you and most of the other Ladies were writing (and in some cases, publishing) long before McDaniel came around, but I never managed to juggle writing and the day job. I wrote the first draft of my first novel in the first half of 2012, realised I didn’t know how to take it forward from there, and at that exact time I read about McDaniel on Jenny’s blog. Those kind of wonderful coincidences are cheating in fiction, but sometimes they do happen in real life 🙂
Great decision! I read Seeds of Power and quite enjoyed it! 🙂
After teaching for almost 20 years, I left the profession. It was one of the most difficult decisions I ever made, and I don’t regret it at all (especially now during a pandemic)!
Thank you! That makes me very happy 🙂
I left a job I loved in the early 2000s after about twelve years. That was hard enough. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to move on after investing twenty years of emotion and effort into teaching. Good for you, making the change, and very glad that it turned out well.
A number of our friends and family are teachers and most are heading back to the classroom this week. It’s so worrying for them, and the parents, and the kids. Really hoping all will be well.
I’ve always found that quitting a job was a good thing to do. 🙂 It’s a good disruptor and helps you (me) reset my goals. I quit one job to go to Peru for a month; I quit one to go to Nicaragua for two months; I quit one to travel the country for six months. I sense a theme here! I didn’t quit to write; I started writing while I was still working. But writing is certainly a good way to spend one’s time, especially these days.
I’m a stickable sort. Before my writing-retirement I had three jobs spanning more than thirty years of paid employment. We traveled a lot, but for a maximum of two or three weeks at a time. Now we could plan a longer trip and travel any time of year rather than working around a corporate calendar– and thanks to covid-19 we don’t even go into the city.
It sounds as though proactive quitting worked perfectly for you! What a pity you didn’t write travel books about your adventures. I’d have bought ’em 🙂