Happy freedom week! In both the U.S. and Canada, early July is a time to celebrate independence from monarchy and freedom for all. (Even if these days, or more accurately, throughout our fraught history, freedom for one does not really mean freedom for all.)
I thought I’d take the theme of the week and turn it slightly to look at freedom in your work and in your daily life.
Are you chained to a job you hate? Have you yearned to write for too long, but never had the courage or belief that you could do it as your career?
I sit in a privileged seat as I write this, and I am grateful to my parents for starting me off in that place, but it’s not easy to choose an independent path no matter where you are and it’s almost always worth it.
I’ve worked for myself since 1998. I was a staff writer at the Detroit Jewish News earning too little to specify here, and my editor would not let me freelance for other publications to earn some extra dough. So I quit. But I did it deftly, negotiating to take my weekly section on a freelance basis, which provided a base income as I set out on my own.
From there, I was up at 7 a.m., pitching ideas to magazine and newspaper editors across the country, interviewing and researching and writing stories for pay. I taught as adjunct faculty at local universities (thanks to my MFA!) and was scrappy and working long hours, but I could rollerblade or see a movie in the middle of the afternoon if I wanted. I only had to report to ME.
That’s not to say it was EASY. I lost track of how many fervent calls I made to my parents, worried that I wouldn’t make rent. Luckily, they were my safety net. While I didn’t want to move home, I knew I could if everything went belly up.
Years later, when I pivoted again in 2007, on the cusp of the economic crisis and as I prepared to become the single mother of three kids ages 2, 4 and 6, I reminded myself that if I couldn’t make ends meet, I could pack up the kids and our worldly belongings and move in with my parents. I didn’t want to - but I could.
That was enough motivation - and the desire to be the boss of my own time - to keep me going. I didn’t always do the writing I wanted to, but I always earned a living from my writing. I was creative. Entrepreneurial. Brave.
I sought mentors, who were generous with advice. I networked. I was open to ideas and opportunities. I read like crazy, worked like hell, and I’m happy to say that when I look back on my life thus far, I’m pleased with the way it’s gone.
With the way I’ve directed it.
And that is a crucial point. All of this I made happen.
I’m grateful to my parents for setting a prime example. My dad started his own company in the scrap metal business when I was 10. My mother had his back as she raised three of us, and when I, at 27, talked to them about going out on my own, it was my mom who said, “You have nothing to lose. If you don’t try it, you’ll always wonder if you could have made it.”
Until he died in 2020, my father was my best business advisor, coaching me through client quandaries and pricing strategies. I’ve been lucky, fortunate, guided by people who bravely walked the freedom path before me.
But I did all this myself! And you can too.
I meet a lot of midlife women in my Finding Your Voice classes who say, “I’ve always wanted to write but…”
I never thought I could make a living at it.
I was always told it was a nice hobby and nothing more.
Fill in the blank here with your version of this story.
If we get ONE LIFE, why not make it what we want? Free to be who you want to be. Free to do what you love most. Because when you do work that you love, it doesn’t feel like work at all. And it sells.
This week, journal about what you’ve always wanted to do and what it might take to finally go for it. How you might be changed by trying. I’d love to hear what you come up with!!
Tips for Making Writing Your Life
Study writing. Take courses or attend retreats to learn more about craft & technique. Build your skills!
Read. A lot. Read everything you can get your hands on. Try to understand how each writer did what they did and decide if you like it, and why. (Or why you don’t.)
Consider part-time work. I’ve always taught and written simultaneously. My teaching feeds my writing and vice versa. Sometimes I do other little jobs, and they, too, find their way into my writing. Don’t worry if all your income doesn’t come from writing. Most writers do other things, too. Which gives them something to write about!
Write as often as possible. When you first awaken, when you take a midday coffee break, when you’re on vacation, in the carpool pickup line. In little 15-minute chunks or four hours at a time.
Start small. Don’t expect to write the Great American Novel in the first month of calling yourself a professional writer. Be patient. Be persistent. You’ll get there.
Join a writing group. Align with other writers. Make writer-friends. Join writers organizations. Find a local or virtual writers group that you can connect with regularly. (I have 3!)
Don't wait to call yourself a writer. Don’t look for someone else to give you permission to call yourself a writer. If you write, you are a writer. Banish the term “aspiring writer” from your vocabulary!
Don't quit. Not even when it gets hard. Because it will get hard. And it will get hard again. Keep writing. Even when you write crap. (We all do.)
Write from your passions. This will lead you to your niche and your author brand. Believe in yourself and what you can create! That it matters. That someone will be changed by it, inspired, helped, just as you have been by powerful writing.
July Book Giveaway for Paid Subscribers
This month, the book I’ll be giving away to a paid subscriber is Elizabeth Berg’s Escaping Into the Open: The Art of Writing True. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade this month to qualify to win!
Thanks so much for reading!
All love, Lynne