Somewhere along the way, the job engulfed me.
I am a writer. I left my job behind years ago, because I didn't want to be an editor or a colorist. I wanted to be a writer.
Then I ran out of money.
As my friend Edward says, "The number of people making a living solely off travel writing wouldn't even fill an airplane." He does, but for the first seventeen years that he wrote, his spouse earned regular income. So many travel writers have other jobs. Some teach. Some write puff pieces that are thinly disguised advertiorials. Some copyedit. Some married money, or at least salaries and health insurance.
So I find myself engulfed with the day job. There is no time for writing the proposal for my next book, Curse of the Hippo. No time to find out if my publisher wants it, or if perhaps some agent might be interested in representing me, or if I can get enough money for it to actually survive while writing it. No time to set up Dik-Dik readings. No time to plan the overland trip through West Africa. I spent the weekend doing day job work that didn't fit into the day job regular hours.
No one gets what they want. Others go to work every day too. Some never get to follow their dreams even a little. Maybe that makes me a whiner.
But I'm alarmed. Because I'm not a writer at the moment. I'm an editor. But if I quit the day job to write another book, where does that leave me in six months? 41 and blending a Frappucino for tips? Or launching the West Africa trip to lead to another book that leaves me penniless but proud?
Penniless but proud has a nice ring to it.
8 comments:
Most people dream of having the balls to do what you have done. I know I certainly do.
But the grass does always have the annoying habit of looking greener from the other side...
Good luck with the battle between having the rent and having book no 2 nearer completion. It's a toughie but I'm sure you'll crack it.
In the meantime, in planning West Africa, have you thought about doing the Plymouth-Dakar rally as an opener to take you down the west coast to Gambia across the Sahara? It's like the Paris-Dakar, only for normal people. The cars have to cost less than £100 ($200) and be true old bangers. Given your relationship with Henry the Ford Taurus I thought you may appreciate the sentiment! The vehicles get driven across the Atlas, through minefields in no man's land and of course, the desert. When you get to Banjul they get auctioned for charity and the locals get to bid for cars at prices they never normally benefit from (imports are huge so new cars are prohibitively expensive for most Africans).
It's a fantastic journey. I did it with a girlfriend in 2005... see http://www.lonelyplanet.com/journeys/photo_feature/plymouth_dakar/ for photos of our trip.
x
The website. You lunatics! I can't believe you did that. I want to do it too. I wish I knew a useful mechanic who liked to have adventures. Oh wait, been there...
Let's do it, Marie.
I have no mechanical aptitude, aside from being able to trouble-shoot a Lister SL2 disel engine (and we probably couldn't find the banger to accomodate that gift, even if we WANTED to drive a Ukranian tractor to Dakar...).
But WTF? We'd figure it out, swoon random greasemonkeys into helping or ditch an old car in Kent, then flee the country!
I am not getting in the car until one of us learns how to fix it. I am skeptical of my eyelash-batting technique.
Which reminds me of a time in 1986, when I was a was a college student driving my rustbucket VW Rabbit from Ohio to Austin (where I met Herr Ward of this very board). I was trying to fix it in Nashville, when a girth-enhanced good old boy pulled up in a suit to help.
"You should get this thing fixed," drawled Mr. Charming.
"No money." I shrugged.
He leered. "I'll give you money... if you'll make love to me."
OH GROSS.
"No, thank you."
"Okay." Now he shrugged. My loss.
The thing is girls, my friend and i sat through 10 evenings classes in car maintenance in the local adult education college in advance of the trip in the vain hope that knowing how to change the oil would help us fix a broken axle/dented sump/ripped off exhaust/crushed radiator when it happened (and it all did, just not to the same vehicle...).
However, once en route, we quickly learnt that whenever we pulled over and raised the bonnet, suddenly we would be surrounded by men weilding spanners offering their help.
And not in return for any sexual favours....
(Although I did meet Rich on the rally but that's a relationship that wasn't consumated for months despite starting with 'getting married' at the Barra ferry in the Gambia when I was trying to avoid a local Rasta who persistently offered me "100% african satisfaction".)
Do it ladies. I know Marie's travels have far surpassed mine but the PDC was by far by my biggest and most inspiring accomplishment to date. It would thrill even the most cynical world weary amongst us.
And if the entries have closed for this year, I know the organiser and he's a sucker for all girl teams...
x
Eno could probably give you an appropriate course in the necessary types of repairs for something like this. I'm all for signing up... wonder if I could get the time off....Maybe when the boys are older we could do it together!
Or I could be part of a pit crew somewhere...
The other Marie
Marie, I think you hated my review of 'Dik Dik,' on Bookslut, and that's too bad because I liked so much of your book. In my experience, anyway, it's pretty rare for writers to get reviews appearing in print or online (from non-kin, non-friends) that are 100% praising.
My sincere condolences on the loss of your dog. It's never easy, even when one's animals are aged....
The reason I am writing is to say I think it really IS possible to do proposal-writing for the next book while working at another job full time. (My situation is not the same as yours, but not wholly dissimilar either.) It's not that I think you're a whiner. For a person who self-defines as a writer, it can be hard to write in fits and starts, only during certain hours, always having to interrupt... but after all, what is the alternative? For a writer, the next book has GOT to get done... because that IS the dream. On the strength of 'Dik Dik' wouldn't you be able to 'feel out' some agents, sign with one, co-develop the proposal... and increase the advance? Not that you wouldn't have thought of this. But you're not a novice, you've gotten lots of press, and should be well-placed for this... no? Good luck with it all, Barbara
All publicity is good publicity! I am exploring a few options (along with my COO), though I have not yet found the balance or time to even finish unpacking. I'm sure it will get easier once I've moved in and caught up from too many months away. Thanks for the note.
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